The Pharaoh's Slave
by Urikol
Summary: When a simple mistake activates a curse from the millenium puzzle, everything goes completely wrong for not just the pharaoh, but Yami Bakura as well as the curse called "The Pharaoh's judgement" captures Bakura forcing him to become Yami's slave.
1. Cursed

Sorry, I haven't been writing in such a long time now. but yes, now I'm doing Yugioh fics. I tried to make it as good as I can, but seeing as I haven't written in such a long time now, it was hard to do. Still, Enjoy.

XXX

Nervous, uncomfortable, worried, these and other terrible emotions ran through Yami head to toe non-stop… Yami, apparently that wasn't his real name, though he was so certain it was, back then. What truly was his real name? Well, he'd have to find out sometime, hopefully before any evil spirit, namely the spirit of the millennium ring, finds out first. Though, right now, he had to focus on what was going on. He watched everyone around him as they chatted with one another, and Bakura, his friend, he was talking to Joey. Though, he knew that the person Joey was really talking to wasn't their friend Bakura, but the spirit using his body to trick everyone else. Well, Yami was no fool, he knew the real Bakura was really too injured to even stand let alone walk around chatting with others. If the spirit was here, then there must have been something he wanted here. The god cards? The puzzle? It had to be the puzzle for sure. Then again, for him to have those cards would give him the advantage. Whatever it was he truly wanted, he wasn't going to get his hands on it.

"Alright, enough visiting, follow me so we can chose who will duel first" Kaiba said in that usual rude tone.

Yami and the others followed Kaiba into the next room. The first thing Yami saw was a machine with tiny numbered balls inside. It was obvious what would happen next, they'd be chosen by the numbers they had been given.

"Alright!" One of Kaiba's guards shouted, "We will choose two duelist's to face each other in the first round, now!"

"Does he have to yell? I mean we're standing right here" Joey joked.

Tea simply shook her head at Joey's comment.

"Oh brother…"

The man started the machine and the numbers scrambled until two of them fell into the slot.

"The numbers have been chosen! The duelist's are Bakura and Yugi!"

"Me and Yugi are going to battle first?" Bakura asked before giggling shyly, "Who would have known?"

"Please make your way to the arena!" The guard said before Yami could even, yet again, wonder what Bakura wanted, and why.

As the two made their way to the top of the blimp, using the elevator, neither of them said a word to each other, but just looking at Bakura, Yami could tell he wasn't going to go down easily. Once the elevator reached the top, the door opened and they both stepped out and headed to the stage, one on each side of the stage ready to start.

Though Yami knew this man wasn't Bakura, he also knew that the others couldn't tell the difference at this moment. Well, it was now he would show them that he wasn't who they thought he was.

"Alright! Enough with the charade! I know you're not Bakura, so show yourself!"

The spirit only responded with a grin before speaking.

"You're more observant than I took you for Pharaoh, alright then. Let us begin our little battle"

"…Fine" Yami growled, disappointed in the evil spirit for abusing his friends body for his own greedy reasons.

:::

The duel lasted for about an hour now, the evil spirit had activated a trap called the 'Destiny board', and from the look of things, Yami was losing, fast. If the evil spirit sets the last letter on the destiny board, then the duel would end, the evil spirit would win. Yami stared at his deck, it was his turn to draw. All he needed was this one card, then, he could turn this duel around. He took the top card on his deck, he was afraid he'd be disappointed if he looked at it, but what does worrying do? So, he looked at the card he drew, and surprisingly, it was the one card he needed. He couldn't help but break his poker face with a grin as he looked at the spirit.

"Huh?... Why are you smiling?" He asked nervously.

"Because, this duel is about to end" Yami replied, "I sacrifice my three monsters to summon, Slifer the sky dragon!"

"What!"

As the monster burst out of the sky and onto the felid, wrapping it's long tail around the blimp, the evil spirit only watched in terror realizing he'd soon lose, and not with mercy, to one of the most powerful creatures in the whole game. Even though they were supposed to be just holograms like the other duel monsters, the Egyptian god cards somehow manage to become real creatures on the field when summoned, and knowing the strength of a god card it could end up damaging his vassal's body, the body he needed to get around and remain flesh and blood. Marik, however, thought otherwise.

"Do it, if you release your host then the pharaoh will not attack. You'd be able to stall enough time to win this duel if you do this"

"How so? My life points are lower than his" The sprit asked with much doubt in his voice.

"Trust me" Marik ensured.

The spirit stared at the Egyptian god, debating whether or not he should risk Bakura's life just to win a duel. Though Marik might have thought it was a good idea, the spirit just couldn't agree with him, no matter how much he pondered on the subject. Though, he couldn't debate about this any longer. His time was running out, fast.

"Alright, Slifer! Attack his life points directly!" Yami shouted to the beast as he pointed directly in the spirit's direction.

"Why are you not letting Bakura out! You're going to lose!"

The spirit only watched as Slifer prepared it's attack. Uncaring if he'd lose, after all, this was not the main duel he was waiting for to destroy the pharaoh once and for all, no, this was just a simple duel, a small one compared to the one he had in mind.

"Sorry Marik" He grinned, not taking his eyes off the monster, "But I cannot risk Bakura's life to win a simple duel"

Finally, Slifer attacked. The dark energy that formed in its mouth burst directly at the spirit striking him with full force…

The spirit's life points dropped to zero, Yami had won. Immediately, Yami ran to Bakura to see if he was ok. But, as soon as he was only half way across the field he quickly stopped where he was, realizing that that was not Bakura at all. The spirit somehow managed to remain unharmed.

The spirit chuckled as he got to his feet, he gave Yami a menacing look as he took a step closer.

"Thought you got rid of me didn't you?" The spirit smirked, "Well, I won't go down that easily, Pharaoh"

"This guy just won't stay down!" Yugi complained.

"Then we'll just have to make him somehow"

The spirit only laughed at the pharaoh's expression, enjoying every minute of his misery.

"Talking to your vassal I see"

"He's not my vassal! He's my friend!"

"Hah! Friendship, I hear it too much from your girlfriend, Tea"

"Hey!" Tea interrupted.

"S…She's not my girlfriend"

"Whatever… how about this, Pharaoh. If you hand over your millennium puzzle I will leave your friends alone, forever"

The pharaoh looked at Yugi, then the puzzle as he placed his hand on it protectively.

"Will you let Bakura go as well?"

The spirit's eyes narrowed in disappointment.

"I'm afraid I can't do that just yet, I still need him to get around"

"Then the answer is no"

The spirit growled. Yami only clutched the item tighter as he and the spirit stared each other down.

"Fine, but mark my words Pharaoh I will have that puzzle one day"

"No! I will not allow you to have this or any other item!"

"That's not really your decision to make, your highness" The spirit grinned as he folded his arms.

Yami couldn't believe how cruel someone could truly be, especially the evil spirit. All he cared about was his own wants and needs, brushing off everyone else's hate towards him as if it were nothing. If only there was a way to control him, to change him, Yami was prepared to do anything to keep him from hurting more innocent lives. What could he do though?

"Well" The evil spirit said, "I'm not going to waste any more time here"

With that the spirit simply walked past Yami ignoring him completely. Yami glanced back at the spirit, eyes filled with rage. He wasn't just going to let this evil being go without an explanation as to why he was doing all this.

"Stop!" Yami shouted, voice furious.

The spirit stopped and shot a glare at the pharaoh before turning round to face him.

"Don't you think that what you're doing is wrong! Why do you want the millennium items anyway?"

"Heh heh, you'll just have to wait and find out pharaoh"

Yami's expression only darkened the more the spirit spoke. He obviously didn't care that he was causing pain and misfortune to others, as long as he was getting what he wanted. Yugi could only watch as his friend's anger worsened, he couldn't just but in, especially not in this situation. It was best for him to just stay out of it.

"Don't you feel any sympathy for others whatsoever! Others will judge you on how you act!"

"Like I care? I'm only interested if a higher power than myself judges me"

"Then you will be judged by me!"

Suddenly, a small gleam of light came from the puzzle. The small gleam then turned into a bright ever changing glow that one minute would be as bright as the sun then next would be as luminous s the moon. Both Yami and the evil spirit gawked at the sudden reaction in the item, both of them looked as confused as everyone else.

Then, all at once a sudden shaft of light shot directly from the eye of the puzzle and straight at the evil spirit wrapping itself around his neck creating a gold and black collar with a blood red leash attached to it. The leash grew until the other end was in Yami's hand. The light faded as soon as it appeared.

"What? What is this!" The spirit questioned, his voice furious.

The spirit grabbed the leash and pulled as hard as he could at an attempt to rip it off, but with no success.

Then, suddenly Bakura and Yugi somehow separated from the spirits, and yet, the spirits still remained where they were, as if they were now flesh and blood without the use of a host body. Bakura collapsed to his knees, too weak to stand. Serenity immediately ran to his side as Duke and Tristan followed.

"Bakura, don't worry, we're here for you" Serenity cried.

"Yeah, hang in there dude" Tristan said.

Yugi glanced at Bakura, then the pharaoh.

"Wha- What's going on?" Yugi said as he stared questionably at the pharaoh.

"I'm not sure"

"Dude!" Joey said as he jumped onto the stage, the others following behind, "What the heck did you do pharaoh?"

"I don't know"

Yami couldn't piece this together. What happened? Why did this happen? It was strange, worse than strange, no word could describe the situation he was in.

"I know what happened" Ishizu stepped onto the stage and walked over to the pharaoh, "It's a curse"

"A curse?" Tristan asked, "Like, some sort of shadow game?"

"I suppose you can call it that, still, I never thought the pharaoh would use it, even accidentally"

"Is it bad?" Tea asked worryingly.

"Not for the pharaoh, but…" She turned to face the evil spirit that looked just as puzzled as Yami did, "For him, it is"

"What? Why me?"

Ishizu stepped in between the pharaoh and the evil spirit, she look at one, then the other, before speaking again.

"The curse was activated because the pharaoh felt he wanted the spirit of the millennium ring to change his ways. What allowed the curse to take effect was when the pharaoh said he'd be the one to judge the spirit. Once the shadow collar was attached, it caused any other spirit that was attached to him and the pharaoh to separate safely, therefore causing both the pharaoh and the evil spirit, to no longer be spirits, but mortals, flesh and blood"

"Well, we can't call him spirit anymore then" Joey said, "Does he have a name?"

"I don't care, Just call me Bakura, and my used to be host, Ryou" Bakura turned his attention back to Ishizu, "Do continue the explanation… How do I get rid of this curse?"

"There is only one way"

"…Go on"

"You see, the curse is called 'the pharaoh's judgment'. Therefore, the pharaoh decides everything. In order to break this curse you have to be given what you want least, and in this case, for you, it's affection. So, the pharaoh must give you affection of any sort, and you must return it if he does, but if you give him affection, he does not have to return it as long as he accepts it"

"Seriously? Tell me you're joking…"

"No"

"What kind of affection are we talking about here?" Joey asked with a weird look on his face.

"Love, whether it is just a simple hug or if it is a kiss, that is the affection he needs to be shown"

"There's no way I'm going to kiss that man, so you can just forget it" Bakura frowned.

"You don't have a choice… you see that leash?" Ishizu said as she pointed at the leash Yami held in his hand, the leash attached to the collar around Bakura's neck, "That represents your life, Bakura. If the red fades to white, it means your life has been drained, and if it reaches to your collar, you will die. In order to keep that from happening, you **must **show affection to the pharaoh, or else it will drain each passing day that you don't. Also if he lets go of the leash, it will also drain… so, your life depends on the pharaoh entirely"

"No! Pharaoh! Remove this curse from me, or you will regret that day you were born!" Bakura roared, his voice filled with rage.

"He can't! I told you there's only one way to release yourself from this curse" Ishizu then looked at the pharaoh, her face more serious than ever, "My Pharaoh, you can chose whether he should live or die, you choose whether to accept his affection or not, you can choose to starve him, or show mercy to him. You choose everything. He is now officially, your slave"

Yami's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. He was now Bakura's master? What would he do with him though? Should he let him live?... Yes, he couldn't just give up on him, not now that he had a chance to actually change him.

"No! Curse you pharaoh!" Bakura screamed furiously, his fist clenched and his stance, ready to fight if he had to.

"Well, this will be easy won't it pharaoh?" Joey said with a stupid smile on his face.

"How so?"

Suddenly Joey snatched the leash from Yami and the red leash now began fading to white.

"Joey! Don't!" Yami shouted as his eyes grew bigger with much more worry than before.

"YOU FOOL! Give that back to him!" Bakura hollered in a panicked tone.

"No! If we can get rid of this psycho so easily than we should! This is for Ryou you messed up freak!"

The red leash was now halfway gone, Bakura could feel the effects, his life was fading away and he couldn't do anything to stop it. Just as he was about to make a dash for the leash his legs suddenly gave out on him, causing him to collapse to the ground on his hands and knees. Soon enough he then found it hard to breath, he placed his hand on his chest. His heart beat more rapidly each passing minute. All he could do was gasp and wheeze now, trying to take back the air that he was quickly losing.

Yami glanced at the weakened Bakura, then back at Joey. Joey kept the leash high in the air, and Yami was shorter than Joey so how could he reach it? He had to think fast. He had an idea, but it wasn't a pleasant one, however it was the only thing he could think of. So, immediately he clenched his fist and struck Joey in the face full force causing Joey to fall backwards and let go of the leash. Everyone else watched in horror at what they were witnessing. Yami picked up the leash as quickly as possible and the red finally stopped fading. If Yami had hesitated Bakura would have died before he got a chance to change. Yami then shot a glare at Joey who flinched at the sight of his expression.

"Joey, I'm not going to let you, or anyone else kill him. I will take care of him" He said sternly, before looking back at Bakura and making his way towards him.

Bakura was too weak to stand, he was barely breathing, the white in the leash had almost touched the collar. Yami clutched the leash tightly so he wouldn't let it slip out so easily this time. He then knelt in front of the weakened Bakura. He watched him lay there on the ground, watched him try so hard to breathe. Never before had he seen him so weak, he almost looked innocent being so helpless. Yami sat down and brought Bakura's head onto his lap, allowing him to lie on his back.

"…Ishizu"

"Yes Pharaoh?"

"How do I return his energy?"

"The same way you keep it from depleting. Show him affection, but if you do, he must show it back or it will not work"

"I see…"

"But" Ishizu continued, "Not just any affection can cure him completely. You must show him the most love you can if you want him to be cured fully"

"How do I do that?" Yami asked as he looked at Ishizu, waiting for an answer.

"You must kiss him, for example, unless you know of another way"

"Ummm… you're not really going to do it, are you?" Joey asked almost in a giggly tone.

"I don't think I have much choice, Joey"

"You keep your royal lips off mine you bloody scum" Bakura growled as he glared at the pharaoh.

"Do you want to die? What if I accidentally let go of the leash? Then what? You'd be dead within three seconds"

Bakura's eyes narrowed as he clenched his teeth. It was clear he didn't want this, neither did the pharaoh, but what else could he do?

"Still... if I do, you have to kiss me back. That way your life will be restored"

Bakura did not answer, but he did not reject the idea any further either.

So, as much as the pharaoh did not want this, as much as Bakura hated the idea. The pharaoh lowered his head close to Bakura's and both of them without much hesitation, kissed.

Neither of them cared about the strange looks they were getting from the others.

"…I'm strangely turned on by this" Mai said as she watched the two, not taking her eyes off them for even a second.

"Yeah… me too" Serenity agreed.

"WHA! Nooooo! Serenity!" Joey cried, in a rather, immaturely silly way.

Then, once the leash was fully red again, Yami and Bakura quickly pulled away from the kiss. Both of them were red in the face from the blush that formed on their faces.

"How do you feel?" Yami asked.

"I feel the need to wash my mouth with chlorine. But, yes… I do feel better…"

"Ok, he's all better" Duke said, "Man, Bakura should consider himself that the pharaoh's such a nice guy. I mean, I wouldn't kiss another guy not even if his life depended on it"

"You're not nice" Tea said.

"Well, it's true"

XXX

More chapters to come.


	2. Finding innocence in evil

Heeeere's chapter two. Took long enough eh? Again, I tried to make it as good as possible. Enjoy.

XXX

Once Bakura's life was fully restored and the feeling in his legs returned, he got to his feet and wiped his lips. Yami stood soon after. Bakura glanced back at the pharaoh in disgust. Apparently he wasn't even the least bit thankful that the pharaoh stepped out of his comfort zone to save him.

_So, this is the thanks I get for saving him? Still, this is what I expected from him. _Bakura turned to face Ishizu.

"How do you know so much about this curse?" Bakura asked.

"As the daughter of a tomb keeper, I found out many things about the millennium items and their powers. All of them can start a shadow game, and this, is sort of like a shadow game all on its own"

"How is it **sort of** like a shadow game?" Tea said as she stepped closer, "I mean, it seems dark enough, also Bakura's life is on the line, so-"

"Yes, Bakura's life…" Ishizu interrupted, "but not the pharaoh's. You see, in a shadow you're gambling with both lives on the line, for this, it is only threatening one life. That is why it's more of a curse than a shadow game"

"Oh, I see…"

Once Yami figured the debating was over, he headed for the stairs that led back down to the lower floor. He then stopped as soon as he realized Bakura wasn't going to follow, it's not like he had much choice though, he had to follow the pharaoh everywhere he went anyway.

"You do realize you have to follow me wherever I go, don't you?"

"I'm not moving…" Bakura glared.

"Hmm…" Yami looked at the leash, then back at Bakura and grinned, "Oh really?"

Yami then tugged on the leash hard enough to force Bakura to walk forward causing him to trip though he managed to stay on his feet.

"Now come" Yami said as he once again headed for the stairs.

Bakura growled, bearing his teeth as he unwillingly followed behind.

The others followed Yami. Tristan, Duke and Serenity followed as soon as Tristan put Ryou on his back to carry him somewhere safer.

Yami found it hard to believe that Bakura actually allowed him to kiss him, he thought he'd be a bit more stubborn than that. Then again, Bakura had always been an evil spectre hadn't he? Or was he ever human? Either way, he got Bakura to cooperate and that was the important part. _Bakura never seemed to show his emotions before. Did he even have any to begin with? _The pharaoh pondered on this subject, not even taking a peek behind him to look at Bakura, instead, he just focused on looking ahead. _Well, if he didn't have any emotions… he's probably feeling them now, now that he's mortal. How will this affect him? How will this affect me… Or my friends? Negatively? Positively? I'll have to wait and see I suppose._

"Hey, I have a question" Joey said randomly, "Where's money bags?"

"You mean Kaiba?" Duke replied, "I don't know. He was watching the duel, but then he disappeared soon after"

"Meh, the guy probably thought that that was it for the excitement. Maaan! Was he ever wrong!"

"Well, I'm going to take Ryou to his room so he can rest" Tristan said before leaving the others.

"Ok man, you do that" Joey said before walking into the dining room.

As soon as they stepped in the room, Joey was the first to notice Kaiba sitting at the table, looking through his deck.

"There you are?...What? You finally realize you're deck can never beat mine?" Joey said obviously trying to start a tough guy verbal fight.

"I'm double checking my deck" Kaiba replied before looking at Joey, "and if I recall, Wheeler… , you lost a duel against me in duelist kingdom"

"Huh? Uhh… that doesn't count, I was reckless back then"

"Nothing much has changed about you since the-"

Kaiba stopped himself as soon as he noticed Yami holding the leash in his hand, his eyes followed the leash until he spotted the gold and black collar around Bakura's neck. Not only that but he saw Yugi, as well as Yami, this confused him the most.

"…Mind telling me why there are… two Yugi's? Also, why does Bakura have a collar and why is one of the Yugi's holding a leash?"

"If you stayed after the duel, you would now!" Joey grinned triumphantly, "Let me tell you, Joey style!"

"This should be interesting" Kaiba said sarcastically.

"Ahem! First of all, the taller one is the pharaoh and the shorter one is Yugi. OK! Now the whole collar, leash, whatever thing started when the pharaoh said he'd judge Bakura's evil spirit, which by the way, we call Bakura now… the other Bakura is Ryou so we don't get confused-"

"-Get to the point"

Joey frowned, "Anyway… After that some strange lights burst out of the millennium puzzle and hit Bakura, but the lights created a collar and leash that is somehow his lifeline and now Bakura has to show love to the pharaoh in order to stay alive and break the curse, eventually… phew… I mean, TADA! Explanation finished!"

Kaiba gave Joey a weird look, like always. Only this time with more doubt than usual. Kaiba was a very sceptical guy. He didn't believe Yami was a pharaoh, he didn't believe in shadow games, he didn't believe anything that seemed out of place of what he thought was reality. He probably wouldn't believe in duel monsters being able to come to life even if one stepped off the field and slapped him in the face.

"Wheeler, at first I just thought you were weird, now I can see you're just a plain loony. Do you honestly expect me to believe that load of lies?"

"What! Can't you see the so called 'two Yugi's' standing right here?"

"Yes, that itself is questionable, but I refuse to believe anything about the whole puzzle light show thing you just told me about"

With that, Kaiba grabbed his deck, got up and left as soon as possible. Probably trying to avoid any more 'dweeb talk' or so he would call it.

The room was quiet for a minute or so as everyone stared at each other, but it didn't stay that way for too long.

"Well! I'm hungry, let's eat!" Joey said.

"Way to change the subject" Mai said jokingly as she made her way to the T.V. area.

While some watched television others simply ate and chatted with each other. Yami decided he should get something to eat too, and maybe something to drink. He walked over to the fridge as Bakura followed. Once there he opened the fridge and took out a small box of apple juice and poured it into a cup he took out of the nearby cupboard.

"Did you want anything?" He asked Bakura who was just watching, arms folded with an un-amused expression on his face.

"I'm not hungry… or thirsty"

Bakura's voice was angry. Of course, that was only natural. Why shouldn't he be angry? He just became the servant of the person he despised most and the only to break free from it all was to give affection to him. How could anybody be even the least bit happy to have to be supremely kind to the one they hate most? Yami sighed before looking back at the cup of apple juice and taking a drink.

"I do have a question, however" Bakura said.

"Mhmm?" Yami replied not taking his lips off the cup.

"How will this affect our showering needs?"

Yami then breathed all too quickly at the same time he had swallowed causing him to choke.

"Pharaoh!" Tea panicked as she ran to his side, "You ok?"

Yami coughed once more before answering.

"…Y-Yes, I'm fine" His attention then turned to Bakura, "Showering needs?"

"Yes, mortals need to stay clean, how do we shower separately if you're constantly holding that leash?"

"Um…"

"Shower together!" Serenity suggested with an innocent smile.

"What? Serenity! Guys don't take showers together!" Joey bawled, "How could you think that?"

"Secure guys do, and so do gay guys. Joey the world isn't completely made up of insecure men"

Joey only responded with an odd look on his face. He tried to say something else, but just couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Well, It would be a little awkward taking a shower with someone, and a little hard to do" Yami mumbled.

"Oh, don't worry your highness, I'll be there to wash your back" Bakura said sarcastically.

Yami couldn't help but show the embarrassing blush that formed on his face, no matter how hard he tried to prevent himself from blushing.

"Don't worry Pharaoh, we'll figure out something" Tea said, trying to make things better for Yami.

"…Yeah…" Yami's attention turned to Ishizu, hoping she'd know of a way to allow them to be separated, even for a little while.

"…I'm sorry Pharaoh. I do not know how to help you there. However, I will study more on this curse. Maybe I can help you then"

"Thank you… oh, we don't even know who you are yet"

"Yeah, what's your name?" Yugi asked in a friendly tone.

"I am Ishizu, I will tell you more in the near future"

"Oh… Ok"

"Um… speaking of showers… I think we all need to bathe" Joey suggested.

Everyone stared at Joey for a moment before smelling themselves.

"Yuck, You're right!" Tea said, "I smell horrible"

"We all do" Tristan cut in, "We've been duelling in battle city for days, trying to defeat Marik's minions non-stop, I suppose we all need a good long shower"

"Woah! When did you get back Tristan?" Joey shrieked as he jumped in surprise.

"Not too long ago. What, you didn't notice me enter the room?"

"No… Oh well. Time to shower today! Then duel tomorrow!"

Immediately Joey dashed for the door.

"Wait a minute!" Tea shouted to the over excited Joey, you'd think by the way he was running out of the room he was addicted to staying clean.

Joey quickly stopped where he was and spun.

"Wha! What? What is it?" He said.

"Doesn't it bother anybody but the pharaoh and Bakura that they're cursed? Well, Bakura mostly, but you know what I mean"

Joey sighed and scratched the back of his head as he closed his eyes, probably trying to figure out a way to explain what he wanted to her.

"Actually, not really. I mean, I care but… I guess I've been around this millennium hocus pocus stuff for so long I'm kind of used to it now" Joey said before looking at Yami, "But don't worry pharaoh. I assure you we'll be there for you no matter how weird this curse gets, aaaand… no matter how suggestive too…"

"Uh? S-Suggestive?" Yami stuttered.

"Yeah, I mean you have to show affection to him, and that itself is suggestive enough to people who don't know what's really going on"

"O-Oh… I suppose"

Joey gave Yami a friendly smile before turning around and heading for the shower room.

"Hmm… I guess he's right" Tea sighed.

Just by watching his friends reactions to all of this, even though some may not show that they cared much, deep inside, they were truly worried for the pharaoh, but why? _Why are they so worried about me?_ _My life is not on the line. Perhaps it's because I want to help Bakura… Bakura, he was always after the millennium items, always hurting Yugi's friends... my friends… Perhaps they are worried that Bakura, once he's free, or, if he's ever free, would just continue in his ways. Continue creating pain and misfortune for others. _Yami sighed before turning his attention to Bakura, who was looking away, staring at the floor, arms folded. _Maybe… he can be changed… somehow._

Yami placed the cup in the sink, then headed for his room.

"Come" Was all he said to Bakura.

Bakura did not put up any resistance to follow this time. Instead, he did as he was told. Both were quiet as they walked through the halls. _We both hate each other. Neither of us show any real affection to each other… still, Ishizu didn't say anything about it having to be __**real **__affection… just… affection. I wonder, can I possibly keep Bakura alive long enough to break the curse? Can he keep __**himself **__alive? _Yami's eyes narrowed as his thoughts deepened on the subject, _by the way he reacted when Joey took the leash from me… was it fear? _It didn't take long for Yami to snap out of his thoughts as soon as he reached the door to his room. He opened the door and entered the room. Once both Yami and Bakura were in the room, he shut the door and the choker around his neck off first, then the bracelet's that were very similar to the choker next.

"What are you doing?" Bakura asked with slight anger in his tone.

"Joey's right, we all haven't bathed in days, and I'm sure everyone would appreciate it if nobody smelt bad"

"Are you suggesting we actually bathe together?"

"Do you know any way to not have to?"

"Yes, don't bother cleaning yourself"

"I don't think you understand. If someone doesn't clean themselves for a long amount of time that's where they can get sick easily, plus they'll reek of a really bad case of morning breath. Since you are now mortal as well it would affect you too, and trust me it only gets worse from there. I think it's best we bathe"

Bakura smirked as he let out a small giggle.

"You're a very secure man Pharaoh… I must admit I respect that in some mortals, but I'm not getting in there with you. Afterall, I may be secure myself, but I already have to show affection to you and that's bad enough"

"Is see" Yami stared at Bakura or only a moment before he continued, "Ishizu said you have to do as I say right?"

"…right"

"…and if you don't I can force you"

"What? Just because I won't bathe with you?"

"No, because you won't swallow your pride and follow orders …and if you don't I can just let go of the leash and let you die"

"Please… you don't have the heart too-"

Just before Bakura could finish Yami dropped the leash and the red began fading to white once more. Bakura's eyes grew as he gasped in shock at the sight of the white making it's way to the end of the leash.

"NO!" Bakura screamed as he dashed for the leash, dropped to his knees, grabbed the leash and placed it back in Yami's hand keeping his hand closed tightly. The red stopped fading, his life was a third way gone.

"You see, if you just cooperate-" Yami paused.

He could feel Bakura's hands trembling as they clutched his hand, as if Bakura was afraid to let go of Yami's hand, afraid he'd just let go of the leash again.

"You idiot…" Bakura growled in a shaky voice. Then he glanced up at the pharaoh, eyes angry, yet hiding fear, or trying to, "You could have killed me! Damn this curse! Damn you!"

Though Bakura showed much anger towards the pharaoh at this moment, he also showed fear, as much as he tried to hide it. Yami had never seen Bakura like this. He never seemed so afraid of death before… probably because you can't kill a spirit, but now, he had complete control over Bakura's life, now that Bakura was mortal, he was experiencing the fear most people seem to experience at least once in their lives. The fear of death, and Bakura's life was so fragile now that even a single mistake could kill him. Bakura had been a spirit for all his life, unless he ever was human before, but either way he was now vulnerable to death. Yami couldn't help but feel sorry for Bakura. He had it worse than anyone right now.

Yami knelt down in front of Bakura and brought of hand up. However, Bakura still did not let go of his hand, even as Yami tried to take his hands off his, Bakura only tightened the grip.

Yami's eyes looked at Bakura's. Bakura, though he looked angry, really was afraid. Yami could tell easily, the shaky hands didn't help Bakura much in hiding his fear.

"Bakura, you can let go of my hand. I won't let go of the leash this time"

"You're bluffing…" Bakura glared.

"Trust me"

Bakura looked down at Yami's hand, then slowly took his hands off his. Yami kept his word, he held on to the leash tight enough to let Bakura know he wasn't going to drop it again.

"…Alright" Yami said as he stood, Bakura standing soon after, "Are you ready to listen to what I say now?

Bakura sighed only a little.

"Yes…" he said.

"Good… now strip naked and get in the bathroom"

"Bloody scum!"

XXX

Yep, I'm going to make you wait for the bathroom scene. *bricked* Anyway, I hope you're liking the story so far. ^^


	3. Knowing your enemy

lol, I told my sister I'd **summon** the next chapter today. *facepalms* You know you're a Yugioh fan when... Anyway. XD Enjoy.

XXX

Surprisingly, it wasn't hard for either Bakura or Yami to remove their clothing. Apparently, the clothes fade through the leash as if they were ghosts fading through walls, making it easy to dress and undress. It seemed whoever made the millennium items thought of everything when adding the curses as well, that is, if it was his or her doing… or perhaps the curse was created all on its own. Whatever the case was, everything seemed so much easier to do then Yami thought. Lucky for them, the shower and bath were separate. Bakura chose the shower of course. Yami chose the bath, though he didn't have any other choice anyway. As Yami let the water run he sat himself down in the tub, slouching slightly. He made sure he kept a firm hold on the leash, preventing it from slipping out of his hand.

…_Bakura… He's been a spirit for so long, I wonder if he can handle life as a mortal. _

Yami turned around to see Bakura already rinsing the shampoo out of his hair. At least he knew how to clean himself, that was good. The shower walls were not transparent like most were, instead they were a solid light cyan colour. The walls were high enough to cover most of the body, only Bakura's shoulders and up showed. Before Yami could look away Bakura turned his head to see Yami staring at him.

"…What?" He asked in a grouchy tone.

"Nothing… just thinking" Yami said as he looked away to stare at the wall.

"Thinking about what?"

Yami looked back at Bakura noticing his expression didn't read impatient at all, it seemed that he was just curious.

"I just, didn't expect someone who's been a spirit all their life to know how to act human"

"Hmph..." Bakura replied as he turned to face the pharaoh, his arms leaning on the top of the shower wall, "Of course I'd know. Having a host body to serve me does not mean I'm immune to life… Also, I was once a mortal before my soul was trapped in the millennium ring"

Yami smiled.

"…and you're alright with telling me this?" he said.

"Of course, you were bound to find out sooner or later. Besides, it's not that big of a secret anyway"

"I see, you also seem to be comfortable with me talking to you while you're taking your shower"

"Pfft, it's nothing big. I know you had your memory wiped clean but if you studied some ancient Egyptian past life online you would know that back then it was normal for people to bathe in the Nile. So of course people can see you when you're bathing. I don't find this to be any different"

Even if Yami tried at this moment, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. Being able to have a conversation with Bakura without the man laughing maniacally or sending death threats his way was actually a very good feeling. He felt as if he was the first person to be able to calm a rabid dog. Yami turned away for just long enough to turn the tap off before turning back to Bakura.

"Well then, just a change in subject, but do you want the rest of your life back?" Yami asked.

"Pardon?"

Yami pointed at the white on the leash, the once red that had faded when Yami proved he wasn't afraid of letting go of the leash. Bakura just glared at the leash, then at Yami.

"Right now?" Bakura said.

"Uh… no, after"

"I'll think about it. I'm still trying to get the last kiss's taste out of my mouth"

Yami did not say anything in response, he simply nodded before turning around and resting.

After Bakura had finished cleaning himself he turned the shower off, wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out. He looked over at Yami who was just enjoying his bath instead of cleaning himself as soon as possible.

"Aren't you going to wash your hair or something?" Bakura asked impatiently.

"I will… I also want to relax too"

Bakura's eyes narrowed as he watched Yami angrily. Then, he walked over to Yami, knelt down and grabbed his shoulders. Yami's eyes grew at the sudden clutch. He turned his head as much as he could to see Bakura giving him a rather threatening look.

"My patience is growing thin here pharaoh, and I've only spent well under half an hour around you. Now, hurry up and clean yourself so I can get dressed and do as I wish"

"I believe I am allowed to take my time if I want, besides, I'm your master now and you must do as I say and follow my rules"

Bakura let out a menacing growl before suddenly grabbing Yami's head and pushing it into the water, then pulling it back out. Yami could only cough out the water he swallowed. Luckily he didn't lose his grip on the leash, but punishing Bakura for that did seem like a very good idea at the moment.

"Bakura!" Yami shouted angrily, still unable to turn his head completely.

"Shut up!" Bakura snapped, "If you're just going to take your sweet time then I'll have to get you clean myself so I can get out of this bloody bathroom!"

Bakura grabbed the nearest shampoo bottle, put enough shampoo in his hands and scrubbed Yami's head roughly and as quickly as possible.

"Ah! Could you be a little more gentle? You're hurting me!"

"Stop your whining pharaoh! This will only take a few seconds!"

"Ouch! Maybe you should consider clipping your nails before you lay another finger on me!"

"My nails aren't sharp! Now hold still!"

Bakura then paused for a moment, remaining silent for a good ten seconds. Yami took this time to rub his scalp. Bakura's finger nails really were sharp and the guy wasn't gentle at all, but the shampoo must have been mixed in completely by now.

"I know you're there… so stop giggling and show yourself!" Bakura said suddenly as he glared at the door.

Giggling? Yami didn't hear any giggling of any sort. Was someone really eavesdropping?

The door opened and in came Tea, Serenity and Mai, all three of them looking as if they were about to die of laughter.

"I-I'm sorry pharaoh. We just came to simply check up on you two to see if you were having problems of any sort seeing as you're stuck together, but-" Tea let out another burst of laughter as she wiped the tear away from her eye.

"…What?" Yami said as a confused look appeared on his face.

"The way you two were talking, it sounded so… so… suggestive!" Serenity giggled, a hand over her mouth at a failed attempt to hide her smile.

"That's not funny, and we don't need your help we're fine" Bakura said impatiently.

Having Tea, Serenity and Mai there didn't help Bakura out much at all, he only sent glares their way as a sign he wanted them to leave.

"Well, did you need any help pharaoh?" Tea asked as soon as her giggling ceased.

"No, it's fine, but thank you"

"Alright"

With that, all three girls left, Mai being the last to leave, closed the door behind her. Yami looked away from the door, his focus now on Bakura. Bakura turned his head to see Yami watching him.

"Are you alri-"

"Just rinse your damn hair!" Bakura snapped as he crawled over to Yami, grabbed his head and pushed him under the water once more, keeping him under the water longer than last time. When Yami felt he couldn't hold his breath any longer he grabbed Bakura's arms, pushed them off his head and immediately rose out of the water gasping for breath. Yami took his time to breathe. Bakura could have been a little more aware of how long a mortal can hold their breath under water. If he truly was human once he would know.

Worried that Bakura might try to drown him again, Yami grabbed a towel, stepped out of the tub and wrapped the towel around his waist. He unplugged the tub before opening the door back into his room and entering as Bakura followed while he muttered "Finally…".

Yami picked out a pair of pajama's for himself and Bakura and handed the pair he picked out for Bakura over to him. The Pj's were both similar in a lot of ways. Bakura's pj's were a long white button shirt and pants. Yami's was the same only, his was a darkened pale blue.

"I hope it's alright" Yami said hoping that if he used a kind tone Bakura wouldn't be so mean, "It's not, well, manly… but it will have to do"

Bakura swiped the clothes out of Yami's hand, obviously not affected by the kindness Yami had tried to show him. Yami didn't care much however, he was expecting that sort of attitude from him anyway. Both of them turned away from each other and got dressed as soon as possible. Bakura kept the top of the pj top unbuttoned, not because it was hard to button every button with the collar around his neck, because it wasn't, but because he simply liked it like that.

"Are you decent?" Bakura asked.

"Yes"

Bakura turned to see Yami, who also faced him now, but not for too long before heading for the door.

"Good, let's go"

"What? In your Pajama's? Where?"

Bakura stopped as soon as he had walked as far as he could before the leash tugged on the collar. He glanced back at the pharaoh angrily, letting Yami know that fight may start if he didn't do as Bakura wanted.

"I have some unfinished business Marik and I am not a patient person, now hurry up and let us go"

Business with Marik? So, they were working on the same side after all. Yami wasn't too impressed with this, and he certainly wasn't going to let Bakura cause any more havoc or bring harm to anyone else anymore. Bakura seemed to realize this, his eyes narrowed as he snarled. Suddenly he grabbed the leash and swung it at Yami causing it to wrap around his wrist, preventing him from letting go of the leash at the same time. He pulled Yami forward as he dashed for the door.

"No!" Yami shouted as he pulled back on the leash forcing Bakura to fall backwards.

"I won't forgive you for that!" Bakura hissed.

He jumped up, turned and charged at Yami. Then, once close enough, he leaped into the air and put both hands together as if to create one big fist ready to attack.

Yami had to think fast if he was to get out of this, dodging was not an option, Bakura would just come back. He got it. This time it was his turn to trap Bakura. Immediately he swung the leash causing it to wrap itself around** both **of Bakura's wrists, binding his arms together. Then he dodged out of the way as he pulled on the leash forcing Bakura to fall forward onto the floor, giving Yami the chance to keep him there as he crawled on top of him and pinned his arms to the floor with one hand and pinning his legs to the floor with his on legs. He took this time to unwrap the leash from around his own wrist, but he did not let go of the leash. Bakura lay motionless on his stomach, but not for too long.

"Get off of me!" Bakura roared as he struggled to break free, but with no success.

"You're anger is growing, you must calm down!" Yami shouted back as he kept Bakura pinned to the floor.

"I don't care if you are my master now! I will NOT do as you say! Now get your royal highness OFF OF ME!"

"You forget I hold your very life in my hand, Bakura! Even so, I don't want to have to risk your life for you to cooperate!"

"You say that now! But if you knew everything you used to before you wiped your memory clean you'd say otherwise!"

Yami blinked. What could he mean by that? What did he do that was so bad that he would want to kill him? What could be worse than sending innocent people to the shadow realm to suffer forever?

"…Why do you say that?"

Bakura gave Yami a look that told him Bakura had just realized what he had said.

"N-Nevermind…"

"No, tell me. I've let things slide too many times before with you, I won't make that mistake this time"

Bakura was silent. He was hiding something, he knew something that Yami had to know.

"Tell me" Yami said.

"…Alright" Bakura said, finally, "It all happened in the village of Kul Elna… my home village…"

Yami listened attentively, not wanting to miss anything Bakura would say.

"…Go on"

"…Your fathers brother decided that in order to save his people he should slaughter mine. The pharaoh's guards came to my village and murdered everyone!"

Yami 's jaw dropped and his eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing from Bakura.

"-I was the only survivor…"

"..What does this have to do with the curse?"

Bakura's eyes looked up at Yami, a little nervous to say what he had to.

"My people's spirits were used to make the millennium items… and I was supposed to be one of them… if… if you allow me to die as a mortal to this curse. There's no doubt that your puzzle will swallow my soul and keep me there forever. Making the puzzle stronger… "

Yami held his puzzle in his free hand and stared at it. _So, this item was created by using his people's souls… his friends… his family…_ Yami then looked at Bakura, who didn't bother to look at him back. _I understand what he means now… he's afraid I'll just let go of the leash and let him die to join the others, just so I can make my puzzle stronger. _Yami smiled gently before speaking.

"Bakura"

Bakura still did not look at him, the only part of him that moved was his slowly heaving chest.

"Bakura, I'm not like them. I'm not like the ones who destroyed your village. I don't care about power"

Bakura's eyes looked up at Yami once more, but his expression still read 'hate'. Bakura, he had every right to hate the pharaoh's family, and every right to fear Yami right now, though, he tried not to show it.

"You have to trust me"

Bakura simply stared for a good minute or two before responding.

"Fine, I'll trust you"

"Good" Yami said before un-wrapping the leash from around Bakura's wrists and helping him up, "It is late, we should go to bed"

Bakura nodded in agreement, ignoring his needs to settle his and Marik's un-finished businness.

XXX

Akefia's (Bakura) past life revealed! Wait till the next update.


	4. Taking sides

Wow, sorry for the long wait, this was a LOOOONG chapter, eh? Enjoy. ^^

XXX

Night time, somewhere around twelve. The room was almost horrifyingly dark. The only light that made it possible to see, even if it was just a little, was the luminous glow from the moon that seeped through the small window of the blimp, and into Yami's room.

Though Yami's body was tired, his mind was not. Even as he tried to shut his eyes, they would just open once more. Though it was kind of odd, he had no problem sharing a bed with Bakura, that wasn't the reason he couldn't sleep, not at all. He was afraid, afraid he'd let go of the leash in his sleep. He didn't want to kill Bakura, not intentionally, not accidentally, not ever…

Yami turned over to see Bakura lying on his back, one hand on his chest, the other beside his head while his head lay so Yami could see his face. He watched Bakura, his slowly heaving chest, his calm breaths, his relaxed position. Everything about him right now seemed so innocent. It was hard to believe this was Bakura Yami was looking at… Why? Why did he have to be the bad guy? Why did he have to be his enemy? Yami only stared at Bakura's face for just a moment before glancing at the white on Bakura's leash, the white that had formed when Yami let go of the leash to prove his point to Bakura. The one thing that came to Yami's mind, was the memory of Bakura's frightened face when he let go of the leash… and, as much as Bakura tried to hide it, the fear he had shown when telling the pharaoh about his life at kul elna. _If I did kill Bakura, it would give my puzzle more power, merely because Bakura's spirit is evil_, _it only makes sense that the puzzle will take his life, his spirit, everything… no…_ Yami glared at the leash as he clutched it tighter, _I will not allow that to happen. I can't…_ Yami looked at Bakura once again, only this time, to see his eyes open and staring right at him. This made Yami flinch a little, but not much as he observed his eyes more. His eyes seemed more gentle than before. His eyebrows were not narrowed. Even awake right now, he seemed… innocent. Yami couldn't help but like this side of Bakura, the side he had never seen before. He smiled softly at Bakura, not just glad to see a gentle face, but glad to see he was awake now too.

"What? What's with that smile?" Bakura asked as his eyebrows narrowed.

Yami sighed as he frowned, _so much for the innocent look… _

"It's nothing… I'm just relieved you're awake now"

Bakura raised a brow as he stared at Yami confused before returning to the angry look.

"Why…? Can't sleep?"

"No, I can't"

"Hmph… Just as I thought, you're too busy worrying about something unimportant. What's worrying going to do anyway? It won't change anything, just make you ill"

"It's not unimportant" Yami replied as he kept a straight face.

"I'm sure it is, just forget about it and go to sleep"

With that Bakura turned over and pulled the blankets over his head. Yami's expression saddened. He thought he knew Bakura before, had him figured out, but no… Bakura was not to blame for his hatred towards Yami's family. It was his family that destroyed Bakura's life. His family that took everything from Bakura.

Yami sat up and slid the blanket off from over Bakura's face. This made Bakura growl under his breath, but that did not affect the pharaoh in any way.

"Bakura… I was worried about you…" he said in a calm voice.

Though Yami could not see it, Bakura's eyes had widened at Yami's answer. Bakura sat up, his eyes narrowed as his head turned enough for him to see Yami looking at him. Bakura's eyes were cold and unfriendly, but something told Yami that he should try harder to gain Bakura's trust. Though Bakura said he trusted him, Yami was sure he only said that to get out of the situation he was in before. Yami was sure Bakura didn't really trust him… and from where he was seeing things, it all seemed so impossible. It was hopeless to think that Bakura would actually trust him. The only reason Bakura did anything for the pharaoh was because his life was on the line. _…he needs to trust me, if he doesn't, I'd be getting nowhere fast with him… the millennium puzzle will only set him free when Bakura is ready to cooperate the way I want him to… if I'm correct, it's not just the puzzles decision, but mine as well. Right now, however… I can't believe he is ready to be set free…_

"…Bakura" Yami said in a gentle tone, hoping that would help gain his trust more, even a little.

"What?"

Yami held the leash up for Bakura to see the white still on it. Bakura turned around completely and stared at the white as he took part of the leash in one hand.

"…We didn't restore your life like we said we would. Or do you want to wait?"

Bakura's eyes glanced up to see Yami's face, then back at the leash.

"…Answer me this first…" Bakura said silently, not taking his eyes off the leash, "…Why were you worried about me? I mean, it's not like I can kill you or anything, not in this position anyway…"

Yami looked down at the part of the leash in Bakura's hand, then the part in his own hand for a moment… before looking at Bakura, who waited patiently for an answer.

"I wasn't worried if you wanted to kill me or not…"

Bakura looked up at Yami. His eyes read hope. Yami could see that, but, hope for what? Yami didn't take his eyes off Bakura for a second, he wanted to show him that he was telling the truth when he spoke.

"…I was worried that if I fell asleep, I'd let go of the leash"

Bakura sneered at the pharaoh's answer before looking away. He didn't seem at all convinced that the pharaoh was telling the truth. _He doesn't believe me… but can I blame him? After what he had told me about Kul elna…_ Yami sighed, _he probably thinks I'm trying to deceive him, somehow…_

"Is that all?" Bakura said, still not giving Yami any eye contact.

Is that all? How could he make his life sound so un-important… even after the way he reacted when he realized his life was so fragile now. Maybe… it wasn't that, perhaps he was putting up a barrier. Even if Yami and Bakura were now master and slave, Bakura still tried to keep his distance from him. Did he really hate him this much?

"…Yes…" was all Yami could say. He did not want to anger him further. Instead, he let him be.

Yami took as much leash as he could and wrapped it around his hand. Bakura's attention turned to Yami. He watched him wrap the leash around his hand with a confused look on his face.

"You can cut the circulation in your hand like that you know" He said.

"This is just my hand, I'd rather stop the flow of blood running through it than have to see you dead in the morning"

Bakura continued to stare at Yami's hand, even after he had finished wrapping some of the leash around. Immediately he grabbed Yami's hand and began un-wrapping the leash.

"Bakura, what are you doing?" Yami said as he snatched Bakura's hand away from his.

"What does it look like I'm doing! If you do this to yourself you won't be able to hold on to the leash anyway!"

"It'll be fine, I'll just keep the leash wrapped around my hand at all times!"

Yami quickly took his hand away from Bakura keeping him from grabbing it again.

"Give me your hand now!" Bakura hollered.

Yami wanted to say something back, but the look Bakura gave him had stopped him. Was Bakura, worried about him? Yami blinked, then lowered his hand enough so Bakura could reach it.

Bakura quickly snatched his hand and un-wrapped the rest of the leash off until he was only holding one part.

"…I didn't think you cared about me" Yami smiled.

"Shut up, I don't. I just want to make sure you won't do anything stupid while my life is in your hands"

"Alright…"

Yami just couldn't take the insult seriously. Even if Bakura really didn't care about him, he had a small feeling in him telling him otherwise.

"So, do you want to restore your life now?"

Bakura did not say anything, he simply nodded.

Yami gently placed his hands on Bakura's face and lifted it so he'd look at him. _The more affection I show, and the more he shows, the better chance of having this curse lifted… I'll try…_ Yami stared into Bakura's eyes, the light that shown in them softened his look, making him seem less threatening. He then caressed Bakura's cheek with his thumb while keeping his hand on his cheek. Bakura only gave Yami a weird look, but he did not back off.

"What are you doing?" He asked a little nervously in a somewhat angry tone.

"Ishizu said the more affection we show, even if it's not real, the better chances of freeing you from this curse, but if I show you affection, you must show me it in return" Yami replied with a straight face.

Bakura didn't seem to want any part of this, but what choice did he have now? He raised his hands and placed them on Yami's face, though he didn't seem to be very warm about it, he was trying. His hands trembled as soon as they touched Yami's skin. If Yami had to guess, Bakura was just not used to showing this amount of love, no matter how small it may appear to someone else. Though he didn't want Bakura to have to try too hard, he wanted to see how far he could go. What was his limit?

Yami leaned in close and gave Bakura a small peck on the forehead before moving to his cheek. Of course, Bakura had to return his false love, but from the way he looked at him, it didn't seem that Bakura wanted to go any further. His hands dropped to Yami's shirt as he clutched the shirt tightly.

"Just hurry up and get the kiss over with" He growled.

"First, return the affection I had just shown you… and don't copy what I do"

Bakura's expression changed from angry to surprise. He looked down at the leash to see that the white had only barely moved. The answer to why that was, was simple however. Though Yami had shown affection to Bakura, Bakura hardly did anything that would be considered affectionate. Yami waited for something to happen, even a simple hug would do… but Bakura did nothing.

"…Uh…" was the only thing that Bakura said in response.

Yami raised an eyebrow. _Uh? That's all? Just… uh?_ Then it came to him, Yami understood why Bakura wasn't doing anything.

"Do you not know how to be affectionate?" He asked.

Bakura's eyes widened for only a minute before turning into a glare.

"Of course I know how to be affectionate! Do you think I'm an abomination or something!"

"Well? I'm waiting then"

Bakura only stared at Yami for a moment before he glanced at his own hands, then back at Yami's face.

Suddenly he ripped open Yami's shirt and pinned him to the bed as he roughly kissed Yami's neck. Yami tried to struggle free but Bakura managed to keep Yami pinned there. Not only that, but he noticed the white in the leash growing once again. Ishizu never said anything about the leash turning white if Bakura messed up, though, she did say she didn't know everything about the curse as well.

"Bakura stop!" Yami shouted.

"What!" Bakura said angrily before turning his attention to the fading red. He gasped and immediately backed away from Yami.

The red had stopped fading. Yami sat and rubbed his neck. As he took his hand off his neck, he also noticed the bruise marks Bakura left on his wrists when he had him pinned.

"…I don't understand" Bakura muttered.

Yami looked at Bakura to see his stressed expression.

"It should have worked, I kissed you at least, that counts doesn't it!"

"That wasn't affection, that was rape" Yami replied, "…You really don't know what real love is, don't you?"

Bakura's hands clenched into fists, as he slowly looked up at the pharaoh in a glare. This made Yami a little uncomfortable, but he did not back off.

"Fine… I admit I don't know how… the closest thing to affection I know is rape… probably because I was raped during the time I had been sent to the dungeon in Egypt…"

"By other prisoners?"

"Prisoners, guards, anybody who could get their hands on me"

Pity filled Yami's heart. Why hadn't Bakura told anyone before? Was he too hurt from the past that he wouldn't dare let anyone care for him? _It seems, the only thing he knows how to do, is hate. I wonder if I can break him of that._

Yami crawled over to Bakura and wrapped his arms around him, securely, comfortably.

"Get off me…" Bakura hissed.

"…Hug me back"

Again, Bakura did not have a choice, but if he messed this up he might end up dead quicker than Yami would have thought.

Bakura wrapped his arms around Yami, and Yami held Bakura closer and tighter, but not too tight. The red began to come back in the leash, but slowly. _Maybe… _Yami thought as he placed his hands on Bakura's face once more, lifting it to see his face better, _…Maybe, I can help him_.

Yami leaned in close, and gently kissed Bakura, long enough to let Bakura's life restore itself.

_I can only hope now, that he lets me help him…_

:::

Dressed in their usual day time clothes, Bakura, Yami and everybody else sat around the dining table, either eating or talking. Joey was the one doing the most talking, however. By the way Bakura slouched, his elbow on the table and his cheek sunk into his hand, the position read 'I really don't want to be here'. Yami looked at Bakura, un-amused by his disrespectful posture, still he made an attempt to be kind anyway.

"Did you eat yet?" He asked before taking another bite out of his sandwich.

"Yes, I had cereal actually"

"Oh? What kind?"

"Sweet berries…"

"Are they any good?"

"Yes. To be quite frank they were sweetalicious"

Yami didn't understand the sarcastic tone coming from Bakura, until he spotted the cereal box Bakura ate from… and the slogan… 'They're sweetalicious'… Yami frowned at the cereal box and groaned, _Now I know he's just messing with me…_ Yami looked back at Bakura, who still looked a little annoyed, though he wasn't the only one losing his patience.

"Oh yeah!" Joey said, "I couldn't sleep last night, I mean, I'm just too excited about the next duel, I hope it's me up next!"

"Yeah, but you kept me up all night too, Joey" Yugi smiled shyly before looking at everyone else, "I mean, he can talk non-stop for hours"

"Tell me something I don't know" Bakura said as he rolled his eyes.

"What! Hey, you trying to insult me pal?" Joey shouted ready to fight Bakura if necessary, "You try having to stay up all night!"

"Actually I was up all night too, both me and the Pharaoh to be exact"

"Really?" Yugi turned his attention to Yami, "Why couldn't you sleep pharaoh?"

"I was afraid I'd let go of the leash in my sleep"

"You were also horny" Bakura joked.

Yami's face immediately turned bright red as his eyes widened before he turned to Bakura and glared at him.

"I was not, I asked if you wanted your life restored and you agreed!"

"I agreed you could kiss me again, but you decided to be a little more affectionate than that"

"That was so the curse would be lifted easier…"

"It would have been if you weren't turned off when I tried to show **my** affection"

"You tried to rape me"

Little did the two realize that as they argued everyone listened carefully and curiously, and some, like Tristan and Joey, gave the two weird looks.

"I don't care what you call it I was getting somewhere with it" Bakura said as he folded his arms only continuing the argument.

"That's not what the leash said"

"Oh! So now it talks to you?"

"That's not what I said"

"Well, that's what it sound-"

Suddenly a fist slammed on the table making mostly everybody jump before they're attention turned to where the sound came from.

"If you two are done arguing like a married couple then I suggest you all finish your meals so we can choose the next two duelists" Kaiba said impatiently.

It seemed everyone was losing their patience with something today, it was probably one of those days where everyone was stuck in the angry zone. Whatever it was, today was most likely going to turn into a disaster.

Everyone got up from their seats and entered the room where the next two duelists would be chosen and waited patiently for their numbers to be called.

"Alright Roland, start the machine" Kaiba ordered.

"Yes sir"

Roland, who was also the announcer, started up the machine. Everyone watched and waited as the numbers scrambled. Finally, a ball entered the slot and rolled out of the machine blue eye's mouth.

"The first duelist will be… number two, Joey!"

"Alright! I get to duel now!" Joey cheered as he raised a fist in the air.

The next ball entered the other slot and rolled out the other mouth.

"His opponent will be… Marik!"

"Good, I'll show Marik who's boss around here for sure!"

Yami admired Joey's confidence, but he also doubted him for being over confident.

"Joey, don't get ahead of yourself, remember to stay focused"

Joey turned to look at Yami.

"Huh?" He said before showing his 'confidence face' once more, "Don't worry Pharaoh, No matter how hard the duel may be, I can assure you I won't back down"

Yami smiled, secretly hoping his friend could back up those strong words in his duel.

"Alright everyone! Make your way to the top of the blimp!" Roland shouted before leading the way to the duel arena.

Yami followed behind the others as they headed to the highest floor, Bakura following behind. The two didn't talk to each other, though Yami was hoping that Bakura would say something, anything. _It seems that between me and Bakura, I'm the only one trying to break the curse… and as much as Bakura wants to be freed from this curse, he's making no attempt. Perhaps it's because of what happened last night, when he tried to show, what he considered, affection. Instead he only made things worse. _Yami sighed to himself, _Perhaps I'm partly to blame as well, the only reason he listens to me is because I threatened him… but that was the only way to make him listen to me, at least, that's what I believe. _

"Pharaoh" Came Ishizu's voice from behind him.

Once Ishizu caught up to him, she walked beside him, a look on her face that told Yami that she had… news.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I found out more about the curse. Apparently it was used before in the past, by who I'm not sure, but…"

"Yes?"

"You know, the more affection you show, the better chance of releasing him from this curse… but you see. In order for it to take most affect, you two must show each other affection when his life is full. If you only show affection when it turns white, you're not doing much"

Yami listened carefully, as he hoped Bakura was doing the same. He was certain Bakura didn't like this information, but Yami wasn't too thrilled about it either.

"Also, this curse as I said before is used to change someone using what they want least against them, right?"

"Right"

"Well…" Ishizu looked back at Bakura who only stared back, his expression as uncaring as hers, "Bakura, this curse upon you now, consider it a warning"

Yami looked back at Bakura, who said nothing. Instead he rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Why must he consider it merely a warning?" Yami asked as he looked back at Ishizu, "This curse is bad enough as it is"

"I know, and once he's free he can do as he wishes… but, if you have to use this curse a second time on him, the curse will worsen"

"What could be worse than having my life so fragile and in the hands of my enemy… and the fact I have to give him hugs and kisses?" Bakura asked a little sarcastically.

"Depending on what you do to try and change a person, whether it's love or hate or humiliation, there is a fate curse"

"Fate curse?" Yami echoed.

"Yes, the fate curse lives up to its name. You see, in your case it's affection, so you must show him the affection you gave him first when the curse started… you know, the kiss. If there comes a time where you must use this curse on him again, you have only an hour to show him that same affection, only you choose whether to spare him, or to kill him. If you choose not to do anything, the curse will kill you both"

"Woooah!" Joey interrupted, "Lady, you mean to tell me that if Bakura is set free then captured again, he and the Pharaoh only have an hour to live?"

"Yes, unless the Pharaoh chooses to spare Bakura or not"

"Seriously?" Tea joined, "Did the last guy who used the curse do this?"

"Yes. From what it looked like, he was a pharaoh as well… but, he did not spare his servants life, he let her die"

"Heh, the last pharaoh's slave was a girl. Our pharaoh got stuck with Bakura" Joey joked.

"Joey, there's nothing wrong about two guys with each other" Serenity said before looking at Ishizu, "How come he didn't spare her life? Was she really that bad?"

Ishizu nodded, "Yes, she was too stubborn to cooperate with him"

"Wait wait" Tristan butted in, "How do you know all this, I mean, what site did you look at?"

"…I suppose you should all know how I know all of this… I will show you" Ishizu removed the clothing covering her face and neck to show a millennium item around her neck.

"A millennium item" Yami said, eyes wide.

"Yes, the millennium necklace can see the past present and future no matter where, when, or what it is"

Finally, the all reached the top of the blimp, and the stage was set. Joey stepped ahead of the others, but stopped and turned to face his friends before going any further.

"Well guys, we can talk more about this later. Right now, I got a duel to win!" Joey said before walking onto the stage, he watched Marik as he did the same.

"Duelists, shuffle the opponents deck!" Roland shouted.

"I just know my brother will win" Serenity smiled.

"Don't get your hopes up my dear" Bakura grinned, "after all the dunce doesn't even know what he's doing half the time"

"Who asked you!" Tristan said, his voice raised and furious, "Joey is a good duelist!"

"He may be good, but that's all he is, and that's not saying much about him"

"That's it!"Tristan roared as he swung his fist at Bakura's face, but before he could even touch him Bakura dodged and grabbed Tristans fist and squeezed it tightly.

Tristan didn't show any sign of pain, though knowing him, he was simply hiding it.

"Please, let go of him!" Serenity cried.

"Let go of Tristan right now you walking corpse!"Duke joined.

"Fine" Bakura said as he literally threw Tristan onto Duke causing them both to fall to the ground, "You should learn to pick your fights more carefully, the both of you"

Just watching Bakura treat Yugi's friends like this, it made the anger inside of Yami grow. Bakura may not know how to be nice, but Yami knew for sure that he knew when to keep his mouth shut. He wasn't going to just stand there and watch Bakura mistreat his friends.

"Bakura! Treat friends with more respect!" Yami shouted, yet tried to keep calm.

Bakura turned around and glared at Yami. His expression told Yami that he didn't want to obey, but Yami wasn't going to give him that option. Yami looked at his friends with an apologetic look, then back at Bakura, though, the look he gave him was not kind at all.

"Bakura, my patience is growing thin with you, as yours grows thin with me… yet I have tried to help you to break this curse and yet, you still insult and hurt those I care about. I will not let you do this to them any further"

"Hmph, I don't care, I have you figured out pharaoh, you only let go of the leash for a second just to get me to do as you wish, but you would never kill me"

"I don't want to kill you, but if you do not listen to me, I might be left with no choice"

"Lies" Bakura grinned, "nothing but lies to get me to cooperate"

"Fine… I warned you"

Yami stepped over to the nearest railing and tied the leash onto it, though part of the leash remained in his hand. Bakura raised an eyebrow.

"You wouldn't, I know you can't do it" Bakura said, though his words made him sound confident, the expression he tried to hide showed doubt in himself.

_I don't want to do this to him, but he's not leaving me with much of a choice… I'm sorry Bakura…_ Yami opened his hand and backed away from the leash, far enough so Bakura wouldn't be able to even touch him let alone put the leash back into his hand. Bakura's expression quickly changed from somewhat confident to great shock. Immediately he ran to the railing and tried to untie the knot, but it was too complicated for even him to figure out. He quickly switched from trying to untie it to breaking it off, of course Yami had already figured out that the leash was unbreakable. It was hard watching Bakura like this and still keep a straight face, especially as he watched the white of the leash eating away at Bakura's life. It wasn't easy to have to just stand there and watch a helpless life fade away like this, but he had to show Bakura that this was his punishment if he didn't cooperate, and that Yami wasn't afraid to use the puzzle's curse against him.

"Damn you pharaoh!" Bakura roared as he glanced in Yami's direction, "TAKE THE DAMN LEASH!"

Yami did not respond, he just watched.

"DO IT!" Bakura screamed, again trying to show he wasn't backing down. His expression was angry as he straightened himself and marched over to the Yami, but he only managed to go so far before the leash stopped him. He glanced back at the leash then back at Yami.

"Will you listen to me now, Bakura?" Yami asked calmly.

Bakura looked at the white that was making its way to his collar before looking back at the pharaoh. His legs began to shake due to the white draining his life, he could barely stand anymore.

"Yes, fine! Just take the leash!"

Yami walked over to Bakura and grabbed the leash before the white could reach his collar, and Bakura fell to his knees, unable to stand anymore. His hands lay flat on the ground supporting his body to stay up as he began to pant. Yami sighed to himself in relief, _Good, he decided to cooperate. I'm glad I didn't have to kill him, Now, I just have to hope that it never has to come to that._ Yami went over to the knotted leash and began untying it, but only to hear Tristan groan as he and Duke stood back up.

"Tristan, are you alright?" Serenity asked as she looked up at him, her eyes full of worry.

"Don't worry Serenity, I'm fine… It's just that I can't believe the pharaoh is still going to let that guy live!"

Yami had finished untying the leash when Tristan said those words, those cruel and cold words. His eyes shot open and his jaw dropped as he looked over at him.

"What?" Yami said in a whispered voice.

"Yeah, I have to agree with Tristan on that one" Duke joined, "How could you even want to keep him alive pharaoh? I mean, all he's done to us is give us grief and cause pain for everyone that even looked at him"

"I'm with the boys on his too, the mans a menace to society, not only that but he's probably working with that other scumbag, Marik" Mai said before looking at Namu, "Don't you agree Namu?"

"Uh… I don't really know him well enough to judge him"

"Well, I don't blame you for that… still" Mai turned her attention back to Yami, "If that were me holding the leash I would have dropped it and left him there to die as soon as it placed itself in my hands"

"Yeah, same here" Duke agreed.

"Exactly" Tristan said as he raised his fist, "So, I think we all agree that you should just do the same!"

Yami couldn't believe what he was hearing from his friends. He watched all of them as they agreed with one another that Bakura was nothing but trash that could easily be forgotten about and left for the shadow realm to take, or wherever he would go if the puzzle did take his spirit. He looked back at Bakura, who was still having a hard time breathing, as he sat there not giving the others any eye contact.

"Seriously pharaoh" Tristan continued, "You were able to stand there and watch his life fade that far I think you'd have no problem just-"

"-THAT'S ENOUGH!" Yami roared tremendously as he glared at everyone causing some to flinch and others to jump and back off, "You think it was easy for me to watch his life fade!"

"U-uh…" Duke stuttered.

"It does NOT matter whether or not he is evil and has caused misfortune for others! He is **not** a worthless nothing that you can just throw away!"

Yami's friends stared in surprise, and some in fear at the pharaoh's reaction. They had seen him mad before, but never this mad, and not at them. Yami then realized what he had done, he pushed his friends away, just because he was protecting Bakura. He looked away from them, ashamed, before turning away from them as he walked over to Bakura. Gently, he lifted Bakura up into his arms and carried him bridal style. Bakura was surprisingly light, so it wasn't all that difficult. Yami looked back at Yugi, who gave him a look of sympathy and worry. Yami then looked at his other friends, Serenity giving the pharaoh the same look Yugi did, the others had different expressions of worry on their faces.

"…I'm sorry" Yami said, "and I'm sorry to Joey, I don't think I can stay to watch your duel…"

"…It's ok pharaoh" Joey replied, his eyes sad.

Yami then looked away from them all and headed back downstairs as he heard Kaiba say 'alright let's get this duel started already' behind him. Bakura wasn't going to put up much of a fight now, though he was too weak to do so anyway, he wouldn't push away the pharaoh or argue about being in this position anyway, even if he had the strength to do so. Right now, he simply lay his head on the pharaoh's shoulder as Yami carried him downstairs.

_What's wrong with me? I snapped at my friends… and all because I wanted to protect Bakura…_

Yami looked down at Bakura who rested comfortably in his arms.

_Why am I doing this again…? Why for him? …Why…?_

XXX

Fffffourteen pages! DX Last time I checked anyway, or was it fifteen...? Oh well. More chapters to come. owo _  
><em>


	5. A new challenge

You know what? Let's just assume all the chapters will be long waits, eh? XD Ffffff... Sorry. OTL Anyway, Enjoy. ^^

XXX

Yami entered his room and walked over to the bed. He gently placed Bakura on the bed, then sat down on the bedside next to him. The silence in the room created an uncomfortable atmosphere and the guilt in Yami's heart didn't help him feel any better. The only thing he could hear right now was Bakura's deep breaths… _I can't believe I raised my voice to my friends… yet, I do believe they kind of deserved it, the way they acted…_

Yami lifted his hand to see the leash better. His eyes traveled from the tip to the collar, then back to his hand. _To have this heavy weight on my shoulders… _he thought as he clutched the leash tighter, his face saddening as his head lowered onto his fist, _It's too much for me, It's only been two days and already I'm falling apart…_ Yami stopped himself from thinking for just a moment to listen to Bakura's breathing. He turned slightly to see Bakura trying hard to take back the air he had lost again. _I threatened him again… I truly wish he hadn't given me that option… but he-_

"Pharaoh…" Bakura managed to say through his breathing.

"Huh?"

Bakura looked at him with weak eyes, and his expression, Yami could not read his expression, it seemed like a mixture of confusion, anger, and a small hint of sympathy… though it was hard to believe that Bakura could be sympathetic towards anyone.

"…Why did you protect me? I'm your enemy, and-" Bakura paused to take a deep breath before continuing, "…and, I know how much you hate me, so why do you bother even trying to change me?"

"Because, I'm not like them… I'm not like my family, I'm not like my friends, I'm not like anyone else you've come in contact with"

Bakura only gave Yami a doubtful look for just a minute or so before looking away.

"You could have lost your friends because you stood up for me"

"If that is the case then they are no friends of mine"

Bakura glanced at Yami, surprised to hear those words come out of his mouth.

"You see" Yami continued, "True friends will stick by you till the end, if they choose to abandon me just because I wish to help you, then they are not real friends"

Yami waited for an answer from Bakura as he watched his confused reaction. From the way Bakura looked at him, it seemed as though he were trying to put a complicated puzzle together, one with far too many tiny pieces to count. _All this anger inside of me, it's all because of him…_ Yami turned away from Bakura and placed his face into his hands, realizing he wasn't going to get through to him, not anytime soon... and probably, never. All he wanted now was to scream, blame someone for his anger and give his anger to someone else. No he couldn't do that, that wasn't like him, not at all. If Yugi and he were still one, he would probably be hearing some helpful advice to calm him down right now, but he wasn't… he had to cope with this anger all on his own now. Though, Yugi had always been the voice of reason for him, always…

Then, Yami felt Bakura's hand touch is arm. He turned to see Bakura now sitting up, only one arm giving him balance, keeping him up. Bakura's hand slid from Yami's arm to his hand as he gently pulled it over to him. Yami had to lean over some for Bakura to pull his hand closer. Once his hand was in front of Bakura's face, Bakura closed his eyes, and kissed his hand softly. Yami watched blankly. Bakura was just trying to get his life restored of course, but, Yami's heart couldn't help but beat faster at this sight. Once Bakura ceased the kiss, he looked up at Yami. His eyes almost seemed enchanting.

"You won't give up on me?" Bakura asked.

"…No, of course not"

Bakura returned his answer with a sly smile, "Well, don't expect it to be smooth sailing from here on now"

Yami smiled back, only his was more kind. It was strange to him, how quickly his anger was fading now, just because of Bakura. He made him feel calm once more, odd how 'Bakura' and 'calm' never seemed to fit in the same sentence before, but now…

"Do you wish for me to help you restore your life?" Yami asked calmly.

"Yes" Bakura replied with no hesitation.

"Very well"

Yami turned his body all the way around to face Bakura better as he leaned in closer to him. Finally, Bakura did not put up any barriers against the pharaoh. Instead, he let him help him. Yami pressed his lips against Bakura's as they both closed their eyes at the touch. It did seem very unnatural, the way they both kissed, it almost seemed... real… but it wasn't. As soon as the sudden realization hit the pharaoh, he felt the guilt and shame grow inside him once more. For a minute there, he actually believed it was real. As much as this shocked him, knowing he felt that way for a moment, he did not pull away from the kiss. His eyes opened slightly and peeked at the red in the leash restoring Bakura's life, it had filled quicker than usual. It wasn't strange as to why… it was Yami's fault, for giving Bakura **real** affection. As soon as the red reached the tip of the leash, he pulled away from the kiss. Yami looked away from Bakura once more, his elbow on his lap and his cheek in his hand. _Why did I think that was real for a second? _Yami pondered on the subject for too short of a time before his train of thought was interrupted.

"…How romantic of you" Bakura said sarcastically.

Yami did not bother to look at him, he merely stared at the far wall. He figured Bakura was talking about how quickly he turned away after that kiss, so he answered calmly.

"…What did you expect…? It's not like we actually like each other…"

"Heh, your tone is very interesting pharaoh, but I was referring to that kiss"

Yami blushed only a little out of shame and embarrassment, but at the same time, he pushed away the thought that Bakura actually read him with just a kiss. He looked back at Bakura, curious to what he knew.

"Seriously, you don't think I can tell a real kiss from a fake one?" Bakura continued as he sat up and folded his arms, "Why so romantic all of a sudden?"

"It's nothing…" Yami lied, "Like Ishizu said the more affection we show the better chance of freeing you… and after you're free…" He paused as his eyes turned into a glare at Bakura, "I want you to never come back"

Bakura raised an eyebrow as his eyes widened slightly. Yami's words were cold and cruel. Nothing too unfamiliar too Bakura, but coming from the 'kind' pharaoh himself it seemed a little unlike him.

"Ever since this curse has been placed upon you everything has been worse than they ever should have been… I raised my voice to my friends in order to protect you from them… Something I never thought I'd do…"

"So what?" Bakura interrupted, "You raised your voice to the ones you love, there's no harm in it! Besides if you care about them so much then maybe you should stop trying to protect me. We're enemies after all so I can't understand why it would be so hard for you to just kill me!"

Yami immediately stood up, his glare worsened.

"No! I won't kill you! Besides you're too scared to die in this situation anyway"

Bakura then returned the pharaoh's glare with one of his own as he too stood.

"I'm not afraid!"

"Then why do look it whenever I let go of the leash!"

"Nevermind! Besides you like to play hero, so why don't you do what you've been trying to do all this time and get rid of me? Then you and your friends can live in your happy little world all you want and you won't have to worry about me anymore!"

"I told you I won't do that to you! I said I wouldn't give up on you, have you forgotten already?"

"It was only a few minutes ago of course I remember! But it's clear to me that I'm the cause of all your problems**! If you hate me just admit it!**"

Yami paused, unable to say anything else. _What am I doing? Why am I blaming him for everything…? _Yami had to think, _how did this fight start again? _He couldn't quite remember what he got mad at Bakura for, but the words Bakura had screamed at him woke him completely at that moment. The way the pharaoh had acted, he acted on pure emotion of hatred and fear. Hate for the situation he was in and fear of the fact he could have lost his friends, that is, if they hadn't already decided to give up their friendship with him. Yami lowered his head and stared at the floor, it was times like these that he wished he could simply leave Bakura here and just walk off without his life being on the line. However, he couldn't do that, he couldn't do that to Bakura. Yami sat back down on the bed, his arms resting on his lap as he continued to stare at the floor.

"…I don't hate you…" He said almost too quietly.

"Then why are you blaming me for everything that's happened?"

"I'm sorry… I wasn't thinking right, it's not all your fault"

Bakura lowered his guard and relaxed his stance. Though the anger still showed on his face, it wasn't as bad as when the fight started.

"Hmph… Why the sudden cruel words my way anyway? First you want to help me, and now you're trying to push me away. Is there something you're trying to tell me? Because if there is then **please** don't hesitate to tell me"

…_Something I'm trying to tell him? There's nothing I want to tell him… but he's right, I am acting strange… Perhaps it's all this stress… _Yami sighed.

"No, I'm just stressed I suppose…"

The two were silent for a minute. The room was now dead silent, no clock to tick, there wasn't even a sound coming from the heater vent and of course nothing in the hallway, everyone else was watching Joey duel. That's what Yami wanted right now, to watch Joey duel, to cheer him on.

"Pharaoh…"

Yami looked up at Bakura letting him know he had his attention.

"You don't usually tend to confuse me, but in this case you have. I just don't understand it, maybe it is the stress, but then again, something is telling me it's something else"

Yami didn't quite understand why himself, was he mad because he lied, saying that his extra affection wasn't actually real, but only seemed real… when really, it was real? Was he that ashamed of it? Or was it really the stress? Or perhaps, it was something else… Something more?

Yami did not answer Bakura's question, instead he looked away. Even so, Bakura folded his arms and waited for what seemed like hours for honest answer from the pharaoh.

"I'm sorry Bakura…" Yami finally muttered, "I snapped at you because-"

"-Don't bother pharaoh, I already know why"

Yami looked back at Bakura as he stood, trying to hide the surprised expression on his face.

"You do?"

"Yes, You just simply hate me right now because I've been a nuisance to you and haven't done much to try and help you free me… mainly because I don't want to help you but, This curse isn't giving me much of a choice"

Yami felt a little disappointed, this wasn't the exact reason why he got mad at Bakura, but he couldn't stay upset for very long, the smile that had appeared on his face was proof. The real reason he was mad at Bakura was simply because he was mad at himself, then took it out on him. Bakura didn't deserve that sort of treatment, and Yami had no right to treat him that way either. Even so, Bakura recognized his own mistakes, and Yami was proud of him for that. Finally, he felt he was getting somewhere with him. He decided to push aside any previous annoying thoughts that seemed to haunt him just so he could take in this once in a life time moment.

"I'm glad you understand" Yami said with a gentle smile.

Bakura's eyes looked away from the pharaoh, trying to hide the fact that he too was probably beginning to feel accepted.

"Don't read too much into it…" Bakura answered in an almost grouchy tone.

Yami's smile stayed on his face, but only until the thought of his 'real affection' came back. Why did he show Bakura so much affection without meaning too? He tried to think back. The memory lead him back to the kiss Bakura gave him, the kiss on the hand. Why would Bakura treat him with such respect like that? He was probably trying to simply get the Pharaoh to show him his affection so his life could be restored as quickly as possible, it worked too well. As if the thought of Bakura using the old alluring act to get Yami to do what he wanted wasn't bad enough, Yami fell for it. Then again, he did say he didn't know how to show real affection, did he lie?

"Bakura" Yami said, finally.

"Yes?" Bakura replied as his eyes focused on the pharaoh once more.

"I thought you didn't know how to show real affection"

"I don't… why?"

"Then what do you call that hand kiss you gave me?"

"Lucky… Just because I don't know how to show affection doesn't mean I can't try. I have a mind of my own after all and unlike some of your friends, Joey for example… I know how to use it"

Yami didn't like the fact that Bakura insulted one of his friends, but he didn't say anything in return. Yami didn't want to fight at the moment, there was already too much drama as it is.

"Now then…" Bakura continued, "Do you want to watch your friend duel or not? Because I'm getting bored just standing here talking to you"

Though Bakura's words may have sounded like an insult to the simple minded, Yami understood well enough that he was suggesting they go watch his friend out of a hidden kindness he refused to show. Perhaps he was like this now because he respected the pharaoh more, seeing as the pharaoh does not bluff and stands by what he says. It seems odd to one point of view, but when looking deeper into the subject, he could tell right away what was going on.

"Thank you" Yami said, the smile returning to his face.

"Whatever… Let's just go"

With that, Yami headed for the door, Bakura following behind, and exited the room. As they headed for the top of the blimp, Yami decided he should make conversation, hopefully to gain more trust from Bakura.

"So, I have to ask out of curiosity" He said.

"Hm?"

"After you lose life from the curse, I noticed it pains you. Of course, anyone can see that can they?"

"What's your point?"

"…When your life is restored, what do you feel?"

Bakura looked at Yami for a quick moment before looking ahead again.

"I feel good as new. I don't really know how to explain it exactly, but I'll just leave it at that"

"I see" was all Yami said as an answer.

If Bakura could describe it better perhaps he wouldn't have such a boring answer, and probably more questions to keep the conversation going. Then again, he did have one other question. Did Bakura really hate Yami, after all, it wasn't his fault that Bakura's village was slaughtered… he wasn't even in power during that time. He had to ask.

"Bakura… uh, do you-"

"Pharaoh!" Came Tristan's voice from ahead.

Yami glanced at Tristan who ran down the stairs and in front of him.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Yami asked in a desperate tone.

"It's Joey, come on!"

Tristan lead the way as Yami and Bakura followed behind. _What could be wrong with Joey? He seemed fine earlier… Maybe Marik has something to do with this!_

When they reached the top of the blimp, Yami could see his friends panicking, mostly Serenity. He looked up at the part of the arena where Joey was supposed to be standing only to find he was knocked unconscious. Yami's eyes grew at the site. _This is Marik's doing for sure… _Yami turned his attention to Marik, but he too was knocked unconscious. This didn't make any sense, what source of power could do this too both of them? Yami looked over at Tea, who seemed to be the calmest one there, besides Kaiba, but Yami knew Kaiba didn't care much about anything.

"Tea, what happened here?" Yami asked, concerned.

Tea glanced at the pharaoh, her eyes full of worry.

"Marik summoned his god card, but… I don't know, something went wrong and then bolts of lightning struck both of them"

Yami looked back at his unconscious friend. He hoped Joey would be ok, but quickly doubt began to take over his mind.

"Dude! Wake up! Joey I swear, if you're trying to mess with us it's not funny!" Tristan shouted.

If anyone could, someone would go up there and help Joey, but Kaiba wouldn't allow it. Yami already knew this. Kaiba was always the stubborn sceptical type. It was either help the duelist and get disqualified, or stay put and stay in the tournament. To someone who didn't know the real story as to why Yami was here, they'd say 'then forget the tournament and help him!', but it wasn't that simple. Marik was here, and even though he was unconscious, he could gain consciousness any second now and win this duel. What exactly Marik wanted was beyond the pharaoh, but he did know it wasn't good, and he had to stop him somehow.

Suddenly, Tea gasped and pointed to Joey.

"Joey!"

He was getting up, normally, as if he hadn't gotten hit at all. Yami couldn't help but smile and sigh in relief knowing his friend was ok.

"Joey! You're ok" Serenity cheered, looking as if she was going to cry happily for her brothers sake.

Joey blinked and turned to look at his friends with a confused expression.

"Huh? What happened?"

"Seriously? You don't remember?" Mai said in disbelief.

"Not really… oh wait" Joey glanced at Marik, who was still unconscious, or so it seemed.

"It looks like Wheeler's the winner…" Kaiba frowned.

Joey ignored Kaiba's disappointed tone, as did everyone else, as he and a couple others ran to Marik to see if he was ok. Joey knelt beside him and placed his head on his lap.

"Hey Marik, are you ok?" Joey asked, concerned for Marik.

Even if Marik was their enemy, it did not matter at this moment, the man was injured and needed help, evil or not.

"Yes, I'm fine…" He said weakly. He was ok, but it was obvious he wasn't as well as Joey, "…but I'm not Marik…"

"Huh? Wha?" Joey replied.

"I am Odion…" Odion barely lifted his hand, "He… is Marik…" he said as he pointed at who they thought was their friend, Namu.

The real Marik looked as if he was in pain as he clutched his head with both hands, as if trying to keep it from coming off.

"Look! He has the real millennium rod" Tea said.

Marik let go of his head for a couple seconds to look at everyone. He grinned and nodded.

"It's true, I am the real Marik"

"Why did you trick us?" Tristan said defensively, "We thought you were our friend"

"Fool, you wouldn't understand, and even if my secret is out now one way or another, I will have my revenge"

_Marik's voice just now… _Immediately Marik clutched his head once more, but his voice, when he said he wanted revenge, it sounded like another person was speaking as well.

"Master Marik…he…" Odion tried hard to speak, but he seemed to be getting weaker by the second, "He has, a dark side to him… please, help him…"

Odion then closed his eyes and passed out completely.

"Woah, hey man, don't die on us!" Joey panicked.

"No! Go away!" Marik shouted to himself.

Suddenly Marik threw his head back and screamed as if something stabbed him in his brain. Everybody stepped back and away from him, too afraid to approach him like this. Yami knew he couldn't do anything to help, what could he do? The only thing he could do was watch in horror. _Wait, he stopped screaming._

Marik lowered his hands, then his head to look at everyone. No, it wasn't Marik anymore, it was the evil that existed in Marik's heart. The grin on his face made him seem unapproachable and threatening, his cruel eyes showed no fear or regret for taking Marik's body. Yami stepped off the stage as Bakura followed while Joey stayed with Odion. The man chuckled as his attention turned to the Pharaoh, then to Bakura.

"I suppose I should thank you both, if it wasn't for Marik's hate towards you pharaoh I would have never came to be… and you, Bakura. You helped feed his anger by joining him in his quest for revenge"

"I simply wanted the millennium items he promised" Bakura said, "This has nothing to do with you"

"How sad, and I was actually thinking of sparing you, but if that's the way you want it, then I'm fine with that too"

"Hmph, It doesn't matter much to me. I don't think you can kill me"

The man's grin darkened and his eyes were sinister.

"Do you think I wasn't watching this whole time through Marik's eyes? You have one major weakness right now" He pointed to the leash in the pharaoh's hand, "Your life is in the hands of the pharaoh, don't you think I can just take it away in your sleep?"

"Such cowardice… Killing me in my sleep?" Bakura growled.

"Call it what you will. If I want something done, I'll do it"

"Not if I have anything to do with it" Yami joined, "I will make sure you bring no harm to Bakura"

"Oh, how cute. The pharaoh is protecting his enemy. Tell me Bakura, how does it feel to be so vulnerable that you need the help of your worst enemy in order to live?"

Bakura's eyes narrowed into a glare, but he did not answer. Though he tried to look as if he wasn't intimidated, from the look on the evil Marik's face, he could tell Bakura was afraid. He wasn't the only one though, Yami was just as worried.

The evil Marik then burst into laughter, obviously enjoying their worried expressions.

"Your feeble attempts at hiding your fear is very amusing… Well, I suppose I will wait until it is my turn to duel" His eyes glanced at Yami who could only glare at him back, "Don't lose now pharaoh, I'm hoping to duel you most"

With that, the evil Marik walked pass Yami, Bakura and everyone else as he headed downstairs. Everyone watched as he left, some with fear, some with hate.

_He's not going to make things easy for me… _Yami looked over at Bakura, who seemed just as worried, though he tried to mask that fear with hate, he could still see it, _I only hope I can protect you._

XXX

Oh my... owo Wait till next update. ^^ Keep the reviews coming please, tis what helps inspire me to keep writing. ^^_  
><em>


	6. Change in strategy

Here's the next chapter. Enjoy. ^^

XXX

"Damn it!" Joey roared as he slammed his fist on the dining room table.

"Dude, you won the duel, isn't that good enough?" Tristan asked.

"No!" Joey turned to face Tristan and the others "Namu was Marik this whole time, he tricked us, not only that but now he's ten times more evil than before! Grr, sometimes I wish I had a millennia item or whatever to show him who's boss!"

"Joey, please calm down" Serenity begged, "You should be resting now"

"Serenity's right" Duke joined, "You did get struck by a bolt of lightning, and we're all under a lot of stress. I think we should all rest"

"Thank you Duke"

Joey sighed as he calmed a little, and nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, but still, there's so much that's bothering me right now…"

"Just forget about the whole 'Namu being Marik this whole time' issue, Joey" Mai cut in, "You can worry about him tomorrow"

"That's not the only problem here that I'm worried about, Mai"

"Hmm? Then what else is there?... Oh, is it the fact that the pharaoh's still protecting Bakura?"

"Yeah! I just don't understand it. They hate each other's guts and more. I mean…" Joey's face saddened as he continued, "He even yelled at you all, and I know that was directed at me too cause I hate the guy as much as you all do. Is he really choosing him over us?"

"No way!" Yugi joined, "The Pharaoh is not like that"

"Do explain" Mai said.

"Well, I know him well enough that I can say he's doing this to change Bakura, to give him a second chance. He doesn't want to push everyone away, but he has to in order to protect him from those who want him dead. At the same time he's still our friend. You see? He's just trying to show us and Bakura that he's not taking sides at the moment… that he's neutral"

"Ooh… I get what you're saying" Joey said, "So, do you believe Bakura can change?"

Yugi lowered his head, his eyes sad. He then lifted his head once more to look at his friends.

"I should hope so, who knows… he might actually be a nice guy in disguise"

:::

Yami had already gotten his pajama pants on, he had finished buttoning his shirt when he noticed Bakura hadn't changed into his pj's yet, the only thing that was off was his jacket. All he did was sit on the bed, arms resting on his lap as he stared at the floor. Yami couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. What the evil Marik had said to him… those words haunted Yami as well… '_Your life is in the hands of the pharaoh, don't you think I can just take it away in your sleep?' _Yami's eyes narrowed, _His life is in my hands… I have a responsibility to protect him from those that want to take it… though he says he trusts me, I still find it hard to believe he does… I have to break the curse as quickly as possible, but how do I know when our affection is actually taking any real affect on this curse?_ Yami continued to watch Bakura, worried about him, _He's probably deep in thought about this as well… well,_ Yami thought as he walked over to Bakura, _now's the best time to actually make some progress. _

Once in front of Bakura, Yami knelt a little, placed his hands on Bakura's face making Bakura look up at the sudden touch and quickly pressed his lips against Bakura's. Immediately Bakura gasped as he pulled away from the kiss causing him to fall back on the bed as Yami was dragged down with him. Yami lifted himself off of Bakura, but only enough that he was on all fours staring down at him.

"What was that for?" Yami asked.

"I should be asking you that! Why did you kiss me? My life is full red, nothing is white on the leash!"

Yami shook his head, disappointed, "Don't you remember what Ishizu said?"

"What?"

"If we show affection when the leash has no white we have a better chance of breaking the curse"

Bakura did not answer. Instead he averted his eyes, or so it seemed for a moment. What he was really doing was staring at the leash in the Pharaoh's hand. Yami's eyes glanced at the leash too, then back at Bakura. He knew just what Bakura was thinking.

"Bakura…"

Bakura's attention was on the pharaoh once again, but his expression, it seemed uncaring, yet… he seemed worried as well.

"I won't force you to do this, but if we don't free you soon, then who knows what the evil Marik might do to you… and we both know I can't protect you twenty four seven"

"…I don't understand you sometimes, we're supposed to be enemies. You know if you were in my situation and I was in yours-"

"You would have let me die right away… I know"

From the way Bakura looked at Yami, it seemed as if he didn't know what to say to the pharaoh's words. He spoke the truth, Bakura would never let him live after what happened to his village. Though Yami's reasons for keeping Bakura alive in the first place was to hopefully change Bakura into someone he can trust… but reasons change, and so did Yami's reasons, some changed, some stayed the same as others piled up on another. He wanted Bakura to change, he wanted him to trust him, he wanted to show him that he wasn't the evil pharaoh he thought he was… these reasons and more came and left. Even so, Yami only wished he could see what Bakura was really thinking. If only he knew how Bakura really felt.

"Well…?" Yami said, "Do you? Or don't you?"

Bakura's eyes narrowed, "You know as well as I do that I don't… but I have to since I have no choice…"

"Then I'll take that as a yes"

Yami lowered his head to kiss Bakura's cheek this time. _I wonder… _Yami thought as he moved to kiss Bakura's neck, _…am I too harsh on Bakura? Or not harsh enough? _

Just as Yami's lips touched Bakura's neck Bakura suddenly grabbed Yami's shoulders clutching them tightly. His nails tore through the shirt and dug into the pharaoh's skin causing him to moan in pain.

"Bakura stop!"

Bakura let go immediately as the sudden realization hit him. Yami placed his hand on his left shoulder then moved his hand in front of him to see the blood on it. He frowned at Bakura.

"Why did you…?" He paused.

Yami stared at Bakura for just a moment, what did he do that was so bad that Bakura would act out like that? _Does he have a sensitive spot...?_ _Or was it because… I kissed lower…? _

That was it, it had to be. _His reaction must be connected to what he said earlier, about the time he spent in prison… five thousand years ago… he still holds a fear for it… and… _Yami thought back to when Bakura averted his eyes from him not too long ago_, _the look on his face, it told him he was afraid Yami was going to let go of the leash if Bakura didn't cooperate the way Yami wanted him to. _Is this what he meant when he said he 'had no choice'? _Did Yami really come across that threatening to Bakura? If so, Bakura, most likely, felt he was trapped. That's not what Yami wanted, he didn't want Bakura to feel trapped… _So, that's why his attitude has been changing from hate to respect, it's all because of fear…_

He smiled softly before taking Bakura's hand. He could tell Bakura wanted to pull his hand away, but at the same time, he resisted.

"I told you, I won't force you to do this. Did you not believe me when I said so the first time?"

"That's not it. What in the world was going through your perverted mind when you decided to go lower!" Bakura growled.

_I knew it… _

"I was merely trying something a little different. I can promise you though I wasn't planning to go any lower than that if that's what you thought I was planning"

"Doesn't matter anymore… the leash has already-" Bakura stopped himself as his eyes focused on the leash in the Pharaoh's hand, "Wa… wait, there's no white…"

"That's because I'm not turned off"

Bakura gave Yami a confused, odd look. Yami's expression however did not change until he looked at his own shoulders. The wounds did sting a little, but it's not like the blood was gushing from his shoulders or anything. Still, his top was now stained with blood. _Looks like I'm sleeping topless tonight…_ Yami began to unbutton his own shirt, not noticing the strange look he was getting from Bakura.

"...What are you doing?" Bakura asked, his tone making him sound a tad uncomfortable.

"Taking my shirt off"

"I can see that! Why are you taking it off?"

Once Yami's shirt was undone he removed it and threw it on the floor.

"Because I don't want to sleep in something with blood stains on it, besides it needs to be washed now"

Yami blinked as he noticed Bakura's bloody fingers. He stared for just a minute before returning his attention to Bakura's face. _For sure he attacked me like that because he truly doesn't trust me… and, that may cause some problems in the future… _

"…Bakura" Yami said, "Why do you not trust me? You say you do but it's not hard for me to see that you don't"

"I trust you…"

"No, you don't"

"Don't start a childish argument with me pharaoh! I trust you!"

"Then why do your expressions say otherwise?"

Bakura did not answer. Instead he glared at the pharaoh. Possibly mad at the fact that Yami could read him like an open book. _He needs to learn to trust me better, maybe it's my fault he's finding it hard to… maybe I should show him there's nothing to worry about._

Yami's eyes lowered to the bottom of Bakura's shirt. Droplets of blood had fallen onto his shirt and stained it as well. _Well, this might be a challenge… but it's a start… _The last thing Yami wanted right now was to cause more stress on either of them, but the shirt had to come off… and knowing Bakura, he'd get the wrong idea for sure if Yami was the one that took it off. Yami held back a sigh before looking at Bakura's face once more.

"Take your shirt off"

"What! What's with this sudden command?"

"If you don't wash it right away the blood stains will stay there forever"

"Do you have some sort of germ fetish, pharaoh?"

Yami glared at Bakura's sarcasm.

"Why is it every time I tell you to do something you rebel? It's not like I'm asking you to hang yourself"

"No, but you're asking me to strip"

"N-No… that's not what I… uh"

"I'm not doing it"

Yami placed his hand on his face. _Why must we always start fighting like this? It usually ends in something disastrous…_ He removed his hand from his face to see Bakura, still glaring at him.

"Then, I'll have to take it off myself"

"You lay one finger on that shirt and-"

Suddenly then Yami grabbed Bakura's wrists and held them down with one hand, at the same time he kept hold of the leash, before grabbing the shirt with his other hand.

"Why must you make such a big deal out of this, Bakura? It's not that bad!"

"It is if you're trying to strip me! You don't think I can't see right through your fake 'kind words'? I know what you're really after!"

"I'd never do something like that to you!"

"**Lies!**"

Yami resisted the urge to yell back. He was getting nowhere fast with Bakura and this argument wasn't doing much good. _Why does he have to be so stubborn?_ It wasn't exactly the fact that Bakura's shirt was stained with blood that was quickly drying into it, but the fact that Bakura still wouldn't listen to him. He always seemed good for a little while, but after a minute or so he'd go spiralling right back into rebellion. Yami didn't know if it was because he'd every now and then wake up back into his view of reality and realize that the pharaoh was his enemy, or he was simply doing this just to hide his fears and weakness's from him… or maybe, to protect himself from something… a road he wouldn't want to go down again… but what road was that? Whatever the reason, Yami had to show him that he was in charge here, he was the one who controlled his life and at the same time, he cared about him, enough that he had swallowed his pride to help him in ways no other man on this blimp, or even in all of the world would do for their most hated enemy.

"Just take it off… please" Yami said, hoping the nice approach would make Bakura cooperate with him.

"Make me"

At this moment Yami was about ready to punch a hole in the wall, but, he remained calm… or, calm enough. He began pulling the shirt off of Bakura, but unfortunately not quick enough before Bakura started struggling shouting curse words that even a sailor would dare not repeat.

"Bakura! It's just a shirt! Hold still!"

"It IS just a shirt, so leave it on!"

"Why do you have to put up a fight over something so small?"

"SMALL? You're trying to strip me!"

"No I'm not!"

Finally, Yami managed to pull the shirt off of Bakura. He threw it away in time before Bakura could grab it back, but still he kept him pinned, believing that if he didn't Bakura would surely beat the living daylights out of him, or try to. Yami sighed, _Finally… I just hope he now see's that- _Yami's eyes grew as he looked back at Bakura's face.

Bakura wasn't exactly glaring, nor was he throwing death threats his way, but he didn't look too happy either. The anger that he was showing the pharaoh told him that if he let his guard down for even a second he'd be shown no mercy from Bakura. _What will it take to calm him down? _

"Bakura, stop looking at me as if I had just murdered your puppy" Yami said before realizing that that wasn't the smartest thing to say to Bakura, especially after Bakura's expression quickly changed from angry to a deathly glare as he growled furiously at the pharaoh, "Uh… sorry… I, uh… Sorry"

Yami felt even more ashamed now. He didn't murder Bakura's family and friends, but his own family did. What Yami said probably sounded cold and a little heartless _Maybe I should stay away from sarcasm… _

"Well?" Bakura said, eyes still full of hate.

"Well… what?"

"What? You're not going to take my pants off next?"

"Uh!" Yami blushed, "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not trying to do anything like that"

"Then get your royal highness off me!"

Yami was really getting tired of Bakura's 'king jokes', but it's not like he would shut him up, he could, but at the same time he couldn't. _He has to do everything I tell him to, or so Ishizu said… but he won't listen to me. If he really __**has **__to listen to me then- _Yami's eyes widened as he became aware of what Ishizu really meant. He glanced at the leash in his hand, the hand that still held Bakura's wrists down.

…_I have to threaten his life in order to do such a thing… _Already, Yami had threatened Bakura, but that was only because Bakura wouldn't listen to him, period. Yami only did such a thing to get Bakura to listen to him even a little. As much as he didn't like it, it was the only way he knew how to get Bakura to cooperate… but it did more damage than he had thought it would. For the most part Bakura would resist in fighting back because of this threat. _I don't want to be the bad guy here… but how can I show Bakura I'm not. He truly believes I'm the main evil._

"…No" Yami finally answered.

"...What?"

"I won't get off, I'm still going to try to free you"

Bakura sighed in disappointment.

"You've already kissed me everywhere allowable without going further, what more could you possibly do to me?"

Yami smiled as he let go of Bakura's wrists. He then took Bakura's right hand and pulled it close to his own face.

"Affection can come in many forms, Bakura… but like Ishizu said, the more affection I show, the better chance of freeing you. All I have to do is get creative"

"W…What do you mean by that?" Bakura asked, trying hard not to stutter.

Yami closed his eyes then licked the blood off Bakura's finger. Immediately Bakura withdrew his hand and Yami's eyes opened just as Bakura's hand slipped out of his. What Yami saw now, on Bakura's face, was a bright red blush. This was something he had hoped to see, if he could keep Bakura like this for a long enough amount of time he might be able to make some progress with freeing him.

"What on earth was that for?" Bakura roared, "What are you planning, pharaoh?"

Yami grinned as he leaned in closer to Bakura. Bakura only stared eyes wide, blush growing as Yami placed his hand on Bakura's face.

"Ishizu did say this is like a shadow game, emphasis on 'game'… So, if that is so, I plan to play this game, and win. Now, the cute side of my affection doesn't seem to affect you so much… so…" Yami said before sliding a finger from Bakura's cheek to his chin, "Let's try the sexy approach"

"A-Are you out of your mind!"

"Probably, but ask anyone who knows me. I do what I can to win if someone's life is on the line, and I plan to win"

"You won't be able to free me overnight, you know that don't you? Besides the evil Marik will probably kill me before you can-"

Before Bakura could finish Yami immediately leaned in and kissed Bakura, not in the soft cutesy way like before, but this time, with more passion and slightly rougher. Surely enough, Bakura's blush darkened as his pupils shrunk as well. Yami's kissed deepened causing Bakura to moan into it as he shut his eyes, and as he expected would happen, Bakura tried to push the pharaoh away, but with not any success as Yami grabbed both his wrists and pinned them once more. Bakura struggled with all his might and finally, he managed to look away, breaking the kiss. Now, he only lay there panting, the pharaoh did the same.

"You… you said, you wouldn't go that far…" Bakura said through his breaths.

"I did, and I've kept my word so far, I haven't touched you in any place you'd consider, forbidden" Yami smirked, "Unless you want me to"

"You're insane… why would I allow that?"

Yami could only shrug to that question as he frowned. He looked down at Bakura's chest as he noticed his heart pounding against it. _It's working, as much as I dislike doing this to Bakura I must keep going._

Yami leaned in closer once again, but not by much before Bakura suddenly screamed 'stop!'. Yami stopped where he was, his eyes grew just as Bakura had screamed.

"I can't take this anymore!" Bakura shouted, the dark blush had faded into a lighter tone, his chest heaving and his arms fighting to break free from the pharaoh's grasp.

Yami could only stare, before leaning closer until his forehead touched Bakura's. It was time for the cute side to come back. He slid his hands from Bakura's wrists to his hands as he held them softly. His eyes now as gentle as his voice.

"Ok…" Yami smiled, "I'll stop"

Bakura, at first, looked as if he was going to glare at the pharaoh, and maybe throw a couple insults his way, but he quickly changed that expression to a confused look. He calmed only a little, but that was good enough.

"Maybe you didn't trust me then when you said you did, but now, I ask… Bakura…" Yami whispered as he gently placed his hands on Bakura's face, allowing him to push Yami away if he wanted, "Do you trust me?"

Yami had to ask this time, to know for sure. He did stop when Bakura said stop, he did what he could to help break the curse, he kept his promises to Bakura. Now, he only hoped Bakura could recognize it.

"Stop faking your kindness…" Bakura finally said, though it sounded as if he had a hard time saying it this time.

Yami lifted himself enough to be on all fours staring down at Bakura like before.

"I'm not faking it. I promise you I'm not faking it"

"Well, stop trying to change me, there's no way you can make me like you so stop trying"

"To stop trying means I have to let you die… and I know you don't want that"

"…Just stop caring about me then… you can kiss and hug me all you want just stop caring"

"Bakura…"

"This is a dangerous road you're heading down, Pharaoh, not just for you but for me as well"

"Why? Just tell me, maybe I can help"

"No! I don't need your help!"

"You do, if I don't help you you'll surely die"

Just then Bakura pushed Yami off of him and quickly sat up. His glare worsened as he as raised his fist into the air and swung only to be stopped as Yami grabbed his arms, both arms to be safe.

"Let me go!"

"Why? So you can injure me?"

"What do you think?"

_Why does he act out like this whenever I try to help him, every time I try to show more affection? _Suddenly, then and there, the thought hit him. The reason why Bakura rebelled all those times he tried to help more and more, every time he managed to get close to Bakura's heart, _He's afraid! He only acts like this when I try to strengthen the affection… he doesn't want me to care for him, because… because he's afraid I'll only betray him in the end. It was __**my**__ family that slaughtered his village, it was __**my**__ guards that took advantage of him, and __**my**__ prisoners… I may not remember what I had done in my past, but he certainly does... this is why he won't trust me. He doesn't want me to care for him… because_ he's afraid I'll let him down, that I'm just pretending to hurt him even further… That must be it…

Yami softened his grip on Bakura's arms as he pulled him into a hug. One arm around Bakura's waist, and one hand on his head, _It all makes sense… no wonder, whenever I tried to reason with him he'd only refuse my kindness and turn my words into something against him. _

"You can trust me, Bakura. I don't remember what I did five thousand years in the past, but you do… and I know a simple apology wouldn't be enough for you, but I hope you can accept my apology… I truly am sorry"

"Why can't you understand that when I say 'let me go' that means-"

Yami tightened the hug, still holding Bakura comfortably in his arms. A small gasp came from Bakura just as Yami had held on tighter.

"Let's start over" Yami said.

"…Why?"

"My memory was erased, so I don't know who I truly was five thousand years ago… so" Yami let go of Bakura and held out his hand to him, a gentle smile appeared on his face once more, "I'm the nameless pharaoh at the moment, but you can call me, Yami"

Bakura glared at the pharaoh, of course, Yami didn't expect anything more from him, but he did hope he'd listen this one time. Surprisingly, Bakura reached out his hand for Yami's. He paused for a moment to look at Yami's face for any suspicious expressions, but the only thing he saw were his gentle eyes and smile. Bakura sighed as he looked away from Yami.

"…Bakura…" He said as he took Yami's hand.

Never before had Yami felt so relieved. The one thing he wanted to do right now was raise his hands in the air and shout 'finally!'. Though Bakura didn't give him any eye contact, it was a start… hopefully. Hopefully this time he was actually getting somewhere with him. Hopefully Bakura was actually willing to set aside his hate for Yami and let him help him. The two let go of each other's hands. Yami crawled off the bed, walked over to the dresser, picked out a pajama top and bottom for Bakura and walked back, handing the clothes to him.

"Here, you should get dressed"

"Hmph…" Bakura replied as he took the clothes from Yami, before looking over at his and the pharaoh's shirts that still lay on the ground, "What about those?"

"Hm?" Yami looked over his shoulder at the shirts that lay on the floor as well, "Oh, I'm sure someone will take those to the wash"

"Is that how it works here?"

"…I believe so"

Bakura frowned and rolled his eyes as if to say 'sure, whatever' before slipping his arm through the first sleeve. The blood on Bakura's fingers and on Yami's shoulders had dried by now, even so he still had the intention of cleaning the blood off them both. That was the last of his worries though. Right now, he had to worry about the evil Marik, what will he do if ever Yami let's his guard down? Also, Yami hadn't been able to talk to his friends as much recently, or, not in any friendly manner.

"I am a bit disappointed in something, Bakura" Yami said.

"What's that?" Bakura asked as he slipped his other through the other sleeve.

"I haven't been able to socialize much with my friends ever since this curse activated" Yami smiled as he continued, "I think it would do you some good"

Bakura began buttoning up his shirt as his eyes peeked up to look at the pharaoh.

"What would do me good?"

"If you socialized with my friends too"

Immediately Bakura stopped when he had only two buttons to go as he sat and gave the pharaoh a rather shocked and angry look.

"What! Are you mad!" Bakura shouted, "Socialize with your friends? They hate my very scent what makes you think they'd come near me let alone talk to me?"

"If I'm around they'll listen. Don't worry"

"…Nevermind, we'll talk about this in the morning, If I'm still alive that is"

Bakura's tone was sarcastic, but his words did worry the pharaoh. He barely got any sleep last night because he worried about him, and tonight, he probably wasn't going to get any sleep.

"…Yeah" He whispered to himself, "…We'll talk then"

XXX

Let's see how far Bakura's socializing skills go, eh? Wait till next update. ^^


	7. Starting over

FINALLY! Sorry for the longer than usual long waits. OTL First excuse, writers block, second, I went camping. Enjoy. ^^

XXX

Yami opened his eyes only a little as he woke from the sound of the alarm clock. The sound coming from the clock wasn't too loud, or, not loud at all, it was almost dead silent. …_Did Bakura turn the volume down on the clock? _To wake up to only such a small sound, it made Yami believe he was a light so, Yami sat up and turned the clock off, before laying back down. He closed his eyes, hoping he could sleep in a little longer, but then out of nowhere the thought of the evil Marik quickly came back to him. The things he had said before… it was already morning. Yami's eyes shot open as he immediately sat up once more and turned, hoping he'd see Bakura still there, safe and alive… Bakura, he was sleeping peacefully, unharmed. His breaths were calm and his posture, innocent. Yami looked down at the leash he still held in his hand, still red, all of it. _Was the evil Marik bluffing? Or maybe… he knew I'd be on my guard this night, maybe… he's trying to toy with me… _

Yami looked back at Bakura. A small sigh of relief escaped him. He lay back down on the bed, only he was closer to Bakura this time. _Bakura… _he smiled,_ I'm glad you're all right._

:::

It was a while before Bakura finally woke up. His eyes opened slightly, the first thing he saw was the pharaoh placing the chain that held the millennium puzzle around his neck, he was already dressed. Bakura opened his eyes as he sat up and did the same for his ring, seeing as they both tend to have their items right next to them when they sleep. Yami sat on the bedside, not doing much else. He ran his fingers through his hair as he sighed deeply. He did manage to get a good night sleep, but how long will he have to worry until the evil Marik finally made his move, if ever. Bakura crawled out of bed, got up and grabbed his day clothes. As he began to undress he looked over at the pharaoh to see if he was looking. Of course he wouldn't be, he respected Bakura's privacy. Yami looked away, staring at the wall, his expression saying almost nothing to Bakura, just that he was deep in thought. Bakura continued to get dressed anyway. _I'm glad he's alright today, but I'll have to keep a tight hold on the leash from now on. I don't want to make any mistakes that may hurt or even kill Bakura. _Yami looked over at Bakura as soon as he had finished getting dressed.

"So?" Yami said.

"So… what?"

"Are you ready to socialize with my friends?"

Bakura's eyes narrowed as he looked at the pharaoh. Yami knew he hated the idea, but maybe, if he could get his friends and Bakura to tolerate each other better, then maybe he could spend more time around them than just being so distant for Bakura's sake. Maybe, Bakura just might change with the help of Yami's friends.

"…I suppose" Bakura answered, "but I highly doubt they're going to welcome me with open arms"

He was right, Yami didn't believe they would either, but he was going to try to get both his friends and Bakura on the same side, but he knew it wasn't going to be easy for most of his friends to give him a chance. Yami stood.

"I don't expect them to, not right away anyway" He said before heading for the door.

Bakura followed him out and walked beside him the rest of the way. Yami couldn't help but feel a little curious to how Bakura was really feeling about all of this? Most likely, he was probably repulsed by the idea of making friends with those who were even a little kind to his enemy. Yami could understand why Bakura would still hate or even fear the pharaoh after all those years. _Back then, all those years ago… was I a terrible pharaoh, or a kind one? It doesn't help me that my memory was wiped clean… nor does it help that Bakura won't give me much of a chance… or, wouldn't… now, we're starting over. I just hope this works out in the end. _Yami's eyes peeked at Bakura's face as he turned his head slightly to see him better. The look on his face made it seem like he was just as nervous as Yami, not really showing much hate, but not exactly showing no hate either.

Finally they both stepped into the dining room and luckily for Yami, everyone was there, or was it unlucky? Maybe it would have been better to just slowly allow one friend at a time to trust him, well, it was a little late to plan any further into this now.

"Pharaoh, good morning" Yugi said as he approached the two, a sweet smile on his face.

"Good morning Yugi" Yami smiled back, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah" Yugi nodded before looking at Bakura, who only watched the two carry on a conversation, arms folded having an almost uncaring expression on his face. Regardless, Yugi smiled at him as well, "Well, I'm glad that Bakura's ok too"

Bakura raised an eyebrow and lowered his shoulders as he stared questionably at Yugi.

_I knew Yugi would be the first to give him a chance, even without asking him to. _Yugi always did have his heart in the right place. Yami was grateful for that.

"Yugi"

"Yes, Pharaoh?"

"I made a deal with Bakura. We're starting over as if we had never met each other before. This way we can give each other a chance to maybe see the other side of us" Yami looked away from Yugi for a brief moment as he watched his other friends chatting with one another before looking back at him and continuing, "I hope you and everyone else will help me out in this"

The look on Yugi's face changed from slight surprise to a kind smile.

"Sure" Yugi said before turning to Bakura, "Well, Since we're starting over" he reached out his hand to Bakura, "I'm Yugi"

Bakura stepped back a little just as Yugi had held out his hand to him. Clearly, he was confused. Or was it clearly? It seemed that even though Yami thought he had figured him out most times, he was wrong. Bakura may be an open book to the Pharaoh, but the words in his book were complicated and hard to make out.

Bakura reached out his hand for Yugi's. Yami was a little surprised as he watched, a calm smile grew on his face.

"Hey!" Joey shouted as he dashed over to Yugi and immediately jumped in front of him as if to protect him from Bakura, making Bakura step away once again, "Yeah, you better back off punk! I ain't gonna let ya lay a finger on my friends again!"

"Joey! He's not trying to hurt Yugi" Yami said, angry yet trying his best to remain calm.

"Don't worry Joey" Yugi said as he stepped in front of Joey to look at him, "We're starting over. Bakura was only trying to be nice"

"…Wha? Yugi, 'Bakura' and 'nice' to fit in the same sentence together"

"Joey…" Yugi's tone was a little on the disappointed side. He knew Joey didn't think Bakura could change, but Yugi did, and so did the Pharaoh. Yugi turned to face Bakura once more, a shy smile on his face, "Sorry about that" He held out his hand again, "Let's try again"

Bakura looked around at the watchful eyes of Yugi's friends. Yami didn't think Bakura felt too comfortable with everyone watching him. Even so, Bakura reached for Yugi's hand once more. As soon as he took Yugi's hand, Yugi's smile quickly changed from shy to cheery. The look on Bakura's face told Yami that he wanted to say something, but couldn't seem to open his mouth… not even slightly. Even as he let go of Yugi's hand, he said nothing.

"My turn!" Serenity cheered as she stepped closer to Bakura, immediately holding out her hand without having a second thought about him, "I'm Serenity" She smiled sweetly.

"Woah Woah!" Joey cut in once again as he stepped in front of his sister and faced Bakura sending him suspicious glares, "Before I even let you touch my sister you have to touch me first!"

"Joey, do you know how wrong you sound right now?" Mai said, trying to hold in a giggle.

"Huh?... What! Get your head out of the gutter, Mai!"

"Took you long enough to figure that one out"

Bakura's expression and posture slowly changed to impatient as he waited for Joey to hold out his hand and re- introduce himself. Finally Joey held out his hand and, even though he didn't look too happy about it, he wasn't exactly against the idea either.

"Well, I'm Joey..."

Bakura took Joey's hand, but instead of re-introducing himself to Joey he tightened his grip on his hand, giving Joey a sign that it was a challenge he was looking for. So Joey began tightening his grip on Bakura's hand as a stupid confident grin appeared on his face. Bakura on the other hand, his expression did not change. From the looks of things Bakura just needed to get his anger out of his system. Yami didn't think that this way was so harmful, so he did not interfere. Then, a sly grin appeared on Bakura's face making Joey a tad uncomfortable. Just then Bakura tightened his grip harder almost crushing Joey's hand as Joey almost screamed in pain. Now things had gone too far.

"Bakura, that's enough!" Yami shouted as he pulled back on the leash causing Bakura to choke a little before falling backwards onto the floor.

Yami had no idea he had tugged on the leash so hard. He didn't mean to hurt Bakura. He knelt beside Bakura and helped him sit up as he placed his hand on his back as Bakura tried to breathe normally again after getting the wind knocked out of him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you alright, Bakura?"

Instead of the death glare and sudden insults Yami had expected from him, Bakura simply chuckled. What was so funny? Yami couldn't understand it.

"It must be hard wanting to protect me as well as your friends at the same time, Pharaoh"

Yami's eyes narrowed.

"So, you planned on doing this to Joey this whole time?"

Bakura shook his head, "No… it was just surprising to me that you would have the strength to pull me to the floor like that"

Yami sighed before looking away. _I didn't think I'd have that sort of strength either… _

"Of course…" Bakura continued.

Yami glanced at Bakura waiting for him to say something else.

"You do have the strength to hold me down on the bed when you want to have your way with me so-"

Before Bakura could finish Yami placed his hand over his mouth and groaned, his expression more annoyed than angry. Yami was pretty much used to Bakura coming up with these sorts of comments to try and embarrass him now… and that's all Bakura was trying to do, embarrass him.

"What? You're a freaking liar, the pharaoh would never do that to anyone, right Pharaoh?" Joey said as he basically massaged his own hand.

Bakura took Yami's hand off his mouth before answering Joey.

"You'd be surprised. He's really quite horny when he wants to be" Bakura smirked.

"Is that true pharaoh?" Yugi asked, obviously hoping that Bakura was just bluffing.

"No, he's just being…" Yami paused as he looked at Bakura, "…Bakura"

Bakura rolled his eyes before standing up, Yami stood soon after.

"Well, are you alright now, Bakura?" Yami asked in a calm tone… or, calm enough.

Bakura only nodded in response to his question, not even making eye contact with him.

"Well, can we try again or are you gonna crush my hand again?" Joey joked.

"I'd probably crush your hand again"

Yami cleared his throat a little letting Bakura know he wasn't going to tolerate that so lightly if he tried it a second time.

Bakura growled under his breath before he held out his hand to Joey. Joey smiled triumphantly as he took Bakura's hand and re-introduced himself once more.

"Joey!"

"…Bakura…"

Finally, Serenity got her chance to jump in between the two and hold her hand out to Bakura.

"My turn, I'm Serenity" She smiled cheerfully.

Bakura only stared at her hand for a moment before placing his hand on his face and letting out a small groan. He wasn't enjoying this so much, of course, Yami didn't expect he would.

"How's your hand Joey?" Yami asked as he turned his attention to his friend.

"Meh, it's ok. It only hurts a little now but don't worry, I'll live"

Yami smiled, Joey's sense of humour was still there so apparently the pain wasn't anything serious. He knew it wasn't that bad either, it's not like his hand was torn off or anything, still he was glad his friend was alright.

"Good"

Yami looked back at Bakura to see he was now shaking hands with Tea, and not enjoying it one bit. Tea didn't look too thrilled either, but at least she and Yami's other friends were making an attempt to be nice to him.

"Pharaoh?" Yugi said.

Yami looked down at him, "Yes?" he said as he smiled gently at his friend. He couldn't help but wear a smile as he looked at Yugi. His kind words always made Yami feel better in almost any situation, Yugi was pretty much his guardian angel in a sense, even though Yami was the, used to be, spirit that used his body to get around. It was strange not having to use Yugi's body anymore to get around, it was all thanks to this curse. Even so, having to tolerate Bakura twenty four seven was no picnic.

"Are you making any progress with Bakura? I mean…" Yugi paused as he looked over at Bakura who seemed to be losing his patience having to be around Yugi's friends and actually holding back his urge to tear each and every one of them to shreds, "He's seems to be getting better… I suppose, it's kind of hard to tell…"

Yami sighed before nodding, "It is, sometimes I can't even tell…"

Yami and Yugi both turned their attention to each other and smiled unaware that Bakura had turned his attention away from Yami's friends and towards Yugi and the pharaoh.

"I'm glad I am able to talk to you in a peaceful manner again Yugi"

"Yeah, I'm glad I get to talk to you again to, Pharaoh. I suppose it wasn't all good if you really missed me that much"

Yami shook his head, completely forgetting that Bakura was there, and yet completely aware that the leash was still in his hand.

"It's not that, We have always been partners and best of friends. Not only that but we were always there for each other, not like we had much of a choice, but still… It's going to take some getting used to"

"Yeah, it does seem a little strange doesn't it?"

Bakura glared as he watched the two carry on a friendly conversation as if it was no problem, making it seem like Bakura was completely talentless in that field.

"Bakura?" Serenity said, hoping to talk to him only to be ignored.

Bakura didn't take his eyes off the two. He stood like a statue watching them as they talked to each other. The pharaoh seemed so much more at peace when he was talking to Yugi. His smile was much more kind than any he had given to Bakura. Once Yami had finished talking to Yugi he turned see Bakura, watching, staring at him, almost completely motionless. He stood there for a moment waiting to see if he'd move at all, but he got nothing from him. Yami walked up to Bakura, but before he could say anything to him, Bakura spoke first.

"Forgetting someone?" He said, his tone a little annoyed.

"U-Uh…" Yami stuttered, he actually did forget Bakura was there, "…I'm sorry"

Bakura's glare darkened.

"Don't be, I didn't expect anything more from you anyway"

Yami's eyes grew at Bakura's cold words. Did he really see him like that? Yami felt the guilt build in him as he looked away from Bakura. What did he do to deserve this harsh treatment from him? Was it because he forgot about Bakura for just a moment? Should it really surprise Bakura so much that he did? _Why is he so cold all of a sudden? I know he's been cruel before, but all I did was take the time to talk to Yugi again._ The two were silent, Bakura still staring the pharaoh down, arms folded as Yami averted his eyes from the heartless stare.

"This is going to be a looong week…" Duke said.

:::

Today, there was no duel, not after the lightning that struck the arena. Kaiba's men had to repair it first, but once it was finished Kaiba for sure would immediately continue the duelling. It was almost like the man had no sense of what was really going on around him, but only cared for himself and his brother, ignoring everyone else. Yami sat quietly, bored and miserable. All this stress that had fallen upon him was causing him to slowly lose his mind. Not only that, but Bakura was the cause of the stress whether it was his fault or not. Nobody was in the room but Yami, Bakura and Serenity. Everyone was probably, doing something important. All he knew was that Joey had dashed out of the room soon after Kaiba insulted him on his way out. Tea, Duke, Tristan and other people soon followed after. They were most likely trying to prevent Joey from making a fool out of himself again or getting disqualified.

"Pharaoh?" Came Serenity's voice from beside Yami.

Yami looked over at her to see her almost sad yet sweet smiling face.

"Are you bored? I have a few ideas to cure that if you want to join"

"What are they?"

Serenity's sad smile turned into a more cheery one seeing that Yami was interested to know what her ideas were.

"How about… dancing?"

"Forget it" Bakura said before Yami could either agree or disagree to it.

"ook… how about, the pocky game?" Serenity suggested.

Bakura and Yami both gave her a strange look, both obviously curious to know what the pocky game was.

"You don't know how to play that game?"

"No" Yami answered, "Please explain"

"Well, there's a couple different and yet similar ways... You take a pocky, put it between someone and those two people have to eat the pocky until their lips touch, or until you kiss or you can make out in the end"

The way Serenity made it sound, using her sweet voice, almost made the suggestive game sound completely innocent. Yami looked over his shoulder to see Bakura's face, the look he was giving her wasn't too kind. _This might be good for Bakura. After all, it might help release him from this curse… _It didn't matter how many insults Bakura threw at Yami, he would never give up on him. After what Bakura had told him about his past life, how could he possibly give up on him now? No one else looked past Bakura's anger and cruel behaviour but Yami. Yugi gave Bakura the chance to start over, Serenity was willing to as well, and though Yami's other friends swallowed their pride long enough to even approach him, it still didn't seem as though they were completely agreeing to the idea. Still, Yami said he'd free Bakura, and that's what he was going to do, and he was going to find every chance he could to do it.

"We'll play" Yami smiled.

"What!" Bakura said, his tone shocked and somewhat angry, "Are you mad?"

Yami looked away from Bakura, stood and walked to the middle of the floor. He looked back at Bakura waiting for him to follow. Of course, Bakura just stayed put, too stubborn to follow.

"Don't you want to be free from this curse?" Yami asked.

"Of course I d-" Bakura paused, finally realizing the real reason Yami wanted to play the game.

Bakura sighed. He stood and walked over to the pharaoh. Yami sat down and Bakura did the same soon after.

"Ok!" Serenity said as she placed the pocky in between them, "Start"

Yami bit his end of the pocky, but kept watch of Bakura making sure he was actually going to join. Bakura hesitated a little at first, but ended up biting his end of the pocky as well. Serenity sat down beside them as she watched curiously and happily. Yami took another bite of the pocky as Bakura did the same after. Both made their way to the middle of the pocky, but once their lips touched, Bakura tried to quickly pull away, but with no success as Yami's hand tightened around the leash and pulled him close to him.

"You have to follow the rules of the pocky game Bakura" Yami said.

"She said 'until their lips touched'" Bakura glared.

"Or kiss..." Yami raised his hand to Bakura's face and placed a finger under his chin near his neck before sliding it to the tip of his chin as he continued speaking, "…or make out"

The look Bakura gave Yami was that of both shock and fear. Though Bakura tried to hide his expression with anger as he would usually do, this time he had trouble doing just that. Not only that, but from the sound of Bakura's voice it sounded as if he were trying to come up with an insult, but only managed to stutter.

"I told you, I said I was trying the sexy approach if it means to help free you… and I'm not stopping now"

Little did the two realize was that Serenity was watching more confused than anything now. She had always been the innocent one of the group.

Yami wrapped an arm around Bakura's waist pulling his body close to his own. The blush on Bakura's face started out a light pink, but quickly turned into a dark red just as Yami leaned in and kissed Bakura's neck before slowly sliding his tongue to his cheek. Bakura bit his lip the whole time at an attempt to hold back a moan only to fail at the end.

"Um, Pharaoh?" Serenity said.

Yami stopped what he was doing to look at Serenity, allowing Bakura to take a quick break.

"Is that necessary?"

"I believe so… I tried to use the cute approach… but you've seen the results I got from that didn't you?"

"Oh…"

It was kind of strange how Serenity carried on the conversation like it was normal, and yet at the same time… Yami kind of expected it.

"…We shouldn't be doing this sort of thing in front of you anyway should we?"

"I don't mind"

"I do"

Serenity blinked before smiling cheerfully.

"Well, ok... I should go see where my brother ran off to anyway" She said, obviously thinking that Yami wanted to be alone, when he didn't.

"What? No!" Bakura shouted, but not quickly enough as Serenity had already left the room. Apparently he didn't want to be alone with the pharaoh, especially since he was still doing the so called 'sexy' approach.

Yami looked back at Bakura. Even though he didn't really want Serenity to leave, and apparently, neither did Bakura, Yami saw this as an opportunity to help break the curse more. Yami smiled and kissed Bakura's cheek softly. Bakura flinched at the unexpected peck on the cheek before looking at Yami's gentle smiling face.

"Am I, between the both of us, still the only one trying to break this curse?"

Bakura did not answer at first. He simply averted his eyes from Yami.

"You've done just about everything you can to me… I'm starting to think this curse has no intentions of releasing me…"

"That's because **you** need to show **me** more affection. I've tried all I can to break this curse, you hardly did anything" Yami frowned.

Again, Bakura did not answer. His eyes were more sorrowful in his own, once again, angry way. He closed his eyes and sighed silently before looking back at the pharaoh.

Yami smiled before stroking Bakura's cheek, his touch soft.

"For someone who's been touched before, you're certainly shy about the things I have been doing to you"

Yami put his hand on Bakura's cheek. Bakura didn't do much of anything but stare.

"I know you doubt that any of these attempts are working" Yami continued, "but if you don't try we may never know"

Bakura only stared for a moment before finally answering.

"…Fine…" he said in an almost calm tone, "but none of that sexy nonsense"

"No promises, it's the only thing I know so far that works well"

It was no surprise to Yami that Bakura would look a little nervous. For a cold hearted evil doer like Bakura, he was surprisingly fragile. Because of his past life, because of the pharaoh's family, Bakura had never had any real friends or anyone to care for him. No one, for over five thousand long years. Yami should have been lonely for that same amount of time, but he erased his memory, his spirit sleeping in the puzzle for five thousand years until Yugi unlocked its power. Of course Bakura wouldn't trust, of course he wouldn't know how to care. No one showed him how… until now.

Yami removed his hand from Bakura's face before wrapping his arms around him.

"Go ahead" Yami said.

Bakura didn't seem like he wanted to kiss Yami, but that was ok, as long as he showed some sort of affection it was fine with him. So, Bakura leaned in close and wrapped his arms around the pharaoh. He lay his head on his chest and lay there comfortably. Yami's smile softened as he stroked Bakura's hair.

_I'm glad I got the chance to see the soft side of him. Ever since this curse first activated I have been seeing the more humane side… I want him to know, that even if the world is against him, I will be there to stand by his side. _

XXX_  
><em>

Wait till next update._  
><em>


	8. Peace to war

Wow, a quick update. It's scary I know.O_o Well, this is a shorter chapter, the next one should be longer. Enjoy. ^^

XXX

Everything was peaceful. It seemed that there were only very few moments like this that Yami could enjoy, so when these chances came he'd relax and try not to ruin it for him or anyone sharing this moment with him, like Bakura. The pharaoh watched as Bakura breathed calmly while he held him comfortably in his arms. Yami continued to gently stroke Bakura's soft hair. It was so quiet, so calm, that almost anyone could fall asleep with no problem from the silence around them. Yami was especially enjoying this. Bakura's body was warm, his hands that clutched the back of the pharaoh's shirt were surprisingly gentle, and the way he lay his head on the pharaoh's chest… someone could easily mistaken them for lovers. _This is good, to see him so calm and relaxed. It should help take some stress off him, and me…_ Yami frowned_ …but, I won't get my hopes up. Every time a moment of peace occurs even for a little while, something happens o break it. _Yami silently sighed to himself, but not silently enough as Yami heard Bakura ask.

"What's wrong now?" Bakura's tone wasn't exactly sympathetic, nor was it irritated, but somewhere in between. Still, It was surprising enough that he would care to ask in the first place.

"Just thinking…" Yami answered, his tone filled with more disappointment than anything, "…I just hope nothing ruins this moment, it seems that every time we have a peaceful moment, even for a second, something comes up to ruin it"

Even though Yami did try hard not to think negative, those thoughts only came back to haunt him.

"You're ruining it just by talking"

"You asked"

Bakura chuckled, "Moment ruined" He said as an amused grin appeared on his face.

Yami blinked once before he got the joke, the moment really was ruined now and he too couldn't help but giggle a little. Bakura sat up and stretched.

"It's a little sickening actually" Bakura said.

"What? …How?"

"Having to kiss and hug each other every day so I can live" Bakura giggled before continuing, giving the pharaoh a sarcastic grin, "I can literally say, I can't live without your love, pharaoh"

Yami felt his heart skip a beat at that comment, but why that was, he didn't quite understand it. It felt as if a little annoying voice in his head was trying to tell him that Bakura actually meant it in that sort of lovey dovey way, when he didn't. What made him want to believe it? Yami shook his head, convincing himself that it was just shock that made his heart react in such a manner. Shock that words like that actually came out of his enemy's mouth. Yami looked away and smiled as he tried to hide his embarrassment.

"Well, I suppose…"

…_What was that? It must have been just shock that caused my heart to jump… I mean, to hear such words even if they're not true, from Bakura… it would surprise anyone I suppose._

"…Pharaoh"

Yami looked back at Bakura, waiting for him to continue. Bakura moved closer to Yami until he was right in front of him, a little too close for comfort. Bakura's face right in front of the pharaoh's.

"Let me show my affection" He said, his tone nervous yet a little disgusted at the fact he was actually going to do this.

Yami's eyes grew at those words. Bakura wanted to show more affection than he's been giving? He actually was willing to? Yami then gave him a calm smile as he nodded.

Bakura placed his hands on the pharaoh's face and leaned in closer until his lips finally touched his master's. He was obviously copying Yami's way of showing affection, but that didn't bother the pharaoh at all. Bakura was just trying to do this as safely as possibly, in a way he knew wouldn't deplete his life. Yami knew if Bakura showed him his affection that he didn't have to show it back, but he did. He kissed him back as he placed his hands on Bakura's shoulders. Yami didn't want to mess this up by trying anything further, not unless Bakura asked or said it was fine first, so he kept it at the kiss. Bakura ceased the kiss, only to stare at the end of the leash in the pharaoh's hand. No white, but no sign that they were making any real progress. How were they supposed to know? Would the collar just break off out of nowhere if the curse was finally broken? Or was Ishizu wrong? Bakura sighed to himself as he stared now at the floor.

"Pharaoh, you say you won't give up on me? So why do let go of the leash when I rebel?" Bakura asked, still staring at the floor.

Yami couldn't help but feel more and more like the real bad guy. Bakura had suffered through so much and Yami apparently was making things worse. Even so…

"It's the only way I know how to get you to cooperate, if I didn't threaten you, you wouldn't listen to me"

Bakura peeked up only a little so that Yami, even though he couldn't see his whole face, could see his eyes now.

"Fair enough" he said, "…then how come you care so much? You could make me do anything you want me to do... and unless I actually did want to die, I can't do anything to stop you"

Yami smiled softly.

"…and you're comfortable enough to remind me of this?"

"You actually forgot?" Bakura growled as he raised his head enough for the pharaoh to see his whole face his time.

"I could have" Yami replied, uncaring about Bakura's temper, "but no, I didn't"

"...Then, why don't you force me to do everything you ever wanted me to?"

"Because, you're already doing that"

Bakura's eyes grew a little to Yami's answer. He looked puzzled as to what he meant by that. What was he doing that satisfied the pharaoh?

"Even if we really are enemies, whether you notice it or not, you're slowly coming out of your shell. You have told me such personal things about your past and how you feel… I'm happy just for that"

"…I thought, you'd let go of the leash if I didn't tell you"

"Of course not. If you want to keep your secrets you can. I only do such a thing if you leave me no choice and choose not to listen to anything I say"

Bakura did not respond. He simply looked away, that same anger back on his face.

_It feels that sometimes no matter how hard I try, he's always going to be distant from everyone, from me. He may have shown his affection, but the look on his face soon after he was finished… I only hope he will be freed some day, soon…_

Silence between them, but Yami wanted to talk to more, to get to know Bakura more.

"…Baku-"

Suddenly a scream came from down the hall. It sounded as if it echoed from the top of the blimp. The voice was all too familiar.

"Yugi!" Yami shouted as he stood immediately, Bakura standing quickly after, both of them dashed into the hallway and quickly headed to the stairs that lead to the top of the blimp.

So many thoughts ran through the pharaoh's mind as he ran to the top of the blimp. His pace quickening with each horrid thought. Was Yugi ok? What made him scream so horrifyingly loud like that? Whoever hurt him was going to pay dearly. Finally, both Yami and Bakura made it to the top of the stairs to find Yugi's friends surrounding the evil Marik. Most of them, worried, others, angry. Yami looked over at the evil Marik to see why. His eyes widened at what he now saw. The evil Marik had hold of Yugi's arm keeping it behind his back, while evil Marik's other hand kept hold of Yugi's other arm that was somewhat stained from blood. Blood? There, on Yugi's hand was a huge scar that only bled a little at first, but the bleeding worsened soon enough.

"Marik! Let him go!" Yami roared, everyone's attention now on him.

"Oh, look who we have here" the evil Marik smirked, "Good timing Pharaoh, any later and little Yugi would have a nasty cut on his throat next"

Yami's eyes narrowed. This man was sick, worse than sick, he was absolutely revolting. Why did he harm Yugi in such a way, why did he harm him at all? What did Yugi do to deserve this?

"What's the meaning of all this, Marik?"

"Oh forgive me, I should explain myself. Let's just say, you're friends refused to cooperate with me, so I had to take measures into my own hands and little Yugi here seemed to fit perfectly into my plan"

"What plan?" Yami asked, worried for Yugi's safety, but too afraid to approach the evil Marik for fear that he might hurt him further.

"You'll see, if you cooperate with me. Either that, or your friend will have to pay the price for you" The evil Marik looked down at his defenceless victim, his smirk turning into a sinister grin, "…and you know, I don't mind either way" He said before slowly licking the blood off of Yugi's hand.

"That's enough! Let him go now!" Yami shouted furiously, clenching his fists, wanting to beat the heartless fiend senseless.

"Jealous Pharaoh?"

"Just tell me what you want!"

"Alright then. What I want from you is your Egyptian god card, and… your puzzle. Give those up and you can have Yugi back safe and sound. What do you say?"

Yami glanced at his deck _…it would be easy to simply give up the god card for Yugi's safety… _he then looked at his puzzle, _but the puzzle, it's too important. If I give that up, The evil Marik would have more power than any of us, not only that, _he thought before his eyes focused on Bakura who was too busy watching the evil Marik to notice Yami was looking at him, _but this puzzle gave Bakura the curse in the first place, if I give him the puzzle, what would happen then? _ Yami turned his attention back to the evil Marik once more, hoping that he could be reasoned with, but at the same time knowing he couldn't.

"Well? Have you made up your mind?" evil Marik asked, enjoying the stressed look on the pharaoh's face.

"I can give you my god card, but not my puzzle"

"Well then, I can give you Yugi's head, but I'll keep his body"

Evil Marik wrapped one arm around Yugi keeping him close to him as he took out his millennium rod and took the end off revealing the sharp thin silver blade that hid inside. Yami couldn't believe what he was seeing, it wasn't just a millennium item, but a hidden weapon as well. Evil Marik then placed the blade on Yugi's throat right under his chin.

"Any last words little Yugi?" he said, his eyes yearning to see more blood.

Yugi could only manage to stutter, his eyes filled with fear.

"No? Very well then!"

"No! Yugi!" Yami screamed as he hurried to save Yugi.

Yami clenched his fist tighter as he swung it at evil Marik only to barely hit him as he dodged and swiftly pulled the blade away from Yugi to use the other end of the item.

"Not so fast!" Evil Marik said as he activated his item, sending a burst of energy directly at the pharaoh. Quickly Yami dodged completely forgetting that Bakura was now behind him. The blast then struck Bakura knocking him back sending him flying and over the railing of the blimp.

"Bakura!" Yami shouted as he rushed to him and quickly grabbed his hand before he was too far out of reach.

Bakura, yugi, now both of them were in grave danger. One hand holding onto Bakura's, while the other held onto the leash, Yami found it hard to hold on to both.

"How amusing" Evil Marik chuckled, "Well pharaoh, it's either him or Yugi. Which one will you choose to save I wonder?"

"You jerk! That was a dirty trick!" Joey shouted.

"Yeah!" Duke joined.

"Heheh, whatever do you mean? **He's **the one that decided to act to save his friend, only making things worse"

Evil Marik then turned his attention back to the pharaoh, who could only glare back at him.

"I'll tell you what pharaoh, I'll give you a chance to save your friend or your enemy, but you can only choose one and if any of your other friends decide to interfere then Yugi will have to pay the price"

Yami growled.

"I'll give you ten minutes, Pharaoh"

Yami's eyes focused on Yugi, before he turned his head to see Bakura. His hand slowly slipping out of his grasp. If Yami didn't do something soon, then Bakura would hang, either that or Yugi would be the one to die.

"How could you?" Yami said angrily, "I thought you just wanted my puzzle and god card for Yugi's life, not Bakura's"

"Oh don't worry, if you save Bakura I'll kill Yugi or if you decide to let Bakura die to save Yugi I will let you keep your god card and puzzle. I believe in equivalent exchange"

_This isn't fair, neither of them should have to die… neither of them deserve it… but what do I do? _

XXX

Wait till next update._  
><em>


	9. The willing

Here it is guys! I am soooo very sorryyyyy for the really long wait... I have been so busy, it's not even funny... DX

Seriously, I'm trying my best to find time. Well, enjoy. ^^

XXX

Only ten minutes, that was all the time the evil Marik gave Yami to decide Yugi and Bakura's fate, but he feared that he wouldn't even have ten whole minutes to decide. Bakura's hand was slipping slowly, Yugi's hand was bleeding so much blood, the evil Marik must have cut an important vein. Either way, he would lose one of them.

"Nine minutes Pharaoh" evil Marik grinned.

Yami glared at the evil Marik before his eyes focused on Yugi, who could only stare back.

"Come on Pharaoh, we all know you want to save Yugi most, so stop putting on an act and just let Bakura die"

"That's enough!" Yami hollered, "This is no act, I care for both of them!"

"If you say so, but you only have eight minutes to make your decision"

Yami glanced down at Bakura as his mind raced to find a way out of this, a way to save them both. The look on Bakura's face didn't help much though. His expression showed a tinge of fear as he looked down behind him. If he fell it would be fatal once he hit ground… that is if the red in the leash didn't fade completely before he got there. Yami's eye narrowed, he glanced at the leash, then at Bakura.

"Bakura…" Yami whispered, "I want you to take my other hand with yours as soon as I let go of the leash"

"Wha-" Bakura said, shock in his eyes as they grew wide before the pharaoh interrupted him with a 'shh'.

"…trust me"

Bakura's eyes focused on the leash in the pharaoh's hand before glancing back at his face.

"Time is running out, Pharaoh" the evil Marik said keeping the sadistic smirk on his face, "What's your decision?"

The only thing the pharaoh's friends could do was watch in horror, for if they interfered, Yugi would be the one to pay for their actions. Yami had to act quickly.

"I've made my decision…" He said as his eyes stayed on Bakura.

Evil Marik's grin grew as he chuckled, ready to see who he'd choose to live, and who'd die. Yami's friends were just as curious, but at the same time, worried.

"Now!" Yami shouted as he let go of the leash, Bakura immediately grabbed his hand soon after.

Yami, with all his strength, then pulled Bakura up almost sending him **flying** back on the blimp and landing hard on the ground. _I must not mess this up!_ Quickly he snatched the leash and swung it directly at Yugi forcing the leash to wrap around Yugi's arm and pulled him over to him away from the evil Marik and at a successful speed quickly enough that evil Marik didn't even have the time to think about killing Yugi.

Yugi fell hard on the floor, but as long as he was away from evil Marik, that's what mattered most at this moment. Yami ran to Yugi's side, he helped him up enough that Yugi was on his knees, looking up at the pharaoh.

"Yugi, are you alright?" Yami said worryingly.

Yugi held onto his injured hand tightly, cringing from the pain.

"Y-Yeah… I'm fine, it's just a cut"

It wasn't just a cut, from what it looked like the evil Marik had cut open a big vein.

"Well, that was entertaining" Evil Marik chuckled, "Don't think this is the end Pharaoh, for this was just the beginning"

With that, Evil Marik turned and headed for the stairs.

"That jerk!" Joey said before charging towards evil Marik, "I'm gonna-"

"Joey!" Yami shouted as he looked up at his furious friend, "Let him go, right now we need to help Yugi"

Joey glared at evil Marik as he watched the man disappear downstairs. He then turned to look at Yami and Yugi.

"Alright" He said as he approached the two, he placed his hand on Yugi's back letting him know that he wanted him to stand and follow.

Yugi looked at the pharaoh before standing and following Joey to the first aid room. Yami then stood and walked over to Bakura, who was sitting on the floor, watching him the whole time. Yami knelt down in front of him and smiled gently, glad to see he was ok.

"Are you hurt?" he asked with a kind tone.

"…Just my back…" Bakura answered as he lowered his head to look at the floor and away from the pharaoh.

Tea, Tristan and the others walked over to the pharaoh as Tea spoke,

"Pharaoh?" Tea's voice was so quiet however that Yami did not hear.

"…Bakura" Yami said, hopeful that Bakura would look at him, but he did not.

_I don't know for sure this time, but I'm almost positive that he's confused… I told him to trust me, and he did, for real… and I've kept my promises. _

Yami moved closer to Bakura and wrapped his arms around him, gently pulling him into a hug. Bakura did not put up any resistance this time, instead he let the pharaoh hug him, not only that, but he hugged him back. The way Bakura was acting now though, it wasn't one hundred percent trust, but more uncertain than anything else. Still, it was enough to keep the smile on the pharaoh's face.

"I'm glad you're alright" Yami whispered unaware that Bakura's life was slowly restoring due to the hug.

"No you-" Bakura paused before finishing his sentence, which, sounded almost sarcastic t first, then his voice turned into a soft whisper "…uh... sure"

At least Bakura was taking the whole "starting over" tactic seriously, or as seriously as he could, which was still good enough for Yami. Yami let go of Bakura.

"Wait!" Bakura said before Yami could stand as he grabbed the chain that held the millennium puzzle around Yami's neck and pulled him in forcing Yami to be face to face with him, "You're forgetting something"

Yami blinked, curious to know what it was he was forgetting. He glanced at the leash he held in his hand, some of the red that had faded showed a tad of white. It wasn't much, but apparently Bakura wanted to restore what little life he had lost anyway. Yami looked back at Bakura and smiled.

"Alright" He answered as he nodded.

Yami knelt in front of Bakura, placed his hands on his face, leaned in and gently kissed him. Yami was well aware that another simple hug would cure his lost life source no problem, but the thought only occurred to him after he had kissed Bakura. He opened his eyes slightly to see Bakura's eyes closed as he kissed the pharaoh back. _Why am I kissing him like it's only natural we do this? It's almost like… I've grown too used to it… _Yami pulled away from the kiss as soon as he realized the white was already more than restored. Both he and Bakura stared at each other, both looking as equally confused as the other, and yet, trying not to show they cared. _That should do… _

Suddenly, the collar started to glow. Yami stood and stepped away a little. He couldn't help but think he made a mistake. This worried him. His friends however, seemed to watch the glowing collar with awe, obviously not thinking that it was a bad sign.

The collar's glow then shrunk until it was attached to one of the black stripes on the golden collar. Then, just as soon as the glow faded, so did the black stripe. Bakura was just as confused as the pharaoh as to why that happened and for what reason. Bakura stood and placed his hand on the part of the collar where that one black stripe had been, before he, and the pharaoh and his friends looked over to Ishizu for an answer. Ishizu didn't seem to like being the center of attention, but she did seem to know a lot about this curse, and was probably the only one on the entire blimp that knew a thing about it anyway.

She smiled, "You're making progress"

"You mean…?" Yami said as he looked back at the collar, "…The curse is fading?"

"Yes, those stripes aren't there for decoration. Once all of those stripes fade, Bakura will be free, of course. Both of you will have to depend on your hosts once more, but at least Bakura will be free then"

"Right" Yami smiled as he looked back at her.

Of course, he wasn't the only one who was happy they were actually getting somewhere now. Bakura, as much as he wanted to show it, was just as proud. He wanted to smile, but one thought in his mind kept him from showing any motion at this moment. Perhaps it would show the others a sign of weakness if he did. Instead he stood and folded his arms as he watched the others, so happy for the pharaoh, and so friendly to him. Bakura frowned as he looked away. Once Yami's friends decided to head back inside the blimp, Yami turned to see Bakura as he smiled at him… but that smile soon faded, he couldn't help but notice Bakura's posture and expression, though showing anger, had a hint of loneliness. Yami's smile returned into much more sympathetic one as he walked over to him. He placed his hand on Bakura's shoulder. This got Bakura's attention as he looked at Yami.

"The person they should really be proud of, is you, Bakura" Yami said with a kind voice before taking his hand off Bakura's shoulder, "We would have never made it this far if you hadn't helped me"

Bakura's eyes almost turned kind for a moment but he quickly stopped himself as he turned it into a false glare.

"It's just one stripe gone, It's not like we've actually freed me completely…"

"Don't worry, We'll fix that sooner than you think" Yami said before heading back to the inside of the blimp, "Come Bakura"

Bakura stared as he watched the pharaoh leave, but only for a short amount of time before he had to catch up due to the leash.

:::

Once everyone was inside, Yami sighed heavily as he collapsed on the couch in the tv area.

"I think I'd take duelling psycho evil doer's over this any day…" He muttered, "No offence, Bakura"

"Non taken…" Bakura replied.

"…Well, how about something to cheer us all up, I mean. Everyone is safe right?" Serenity suggested, hope trying to fill her eyes.

"…Maybe…" Yami said a little unsure.

Bakura simply watched the pharaoh, looking deep in thought. His eyes narrows slightly as he averted them from Yami, before looking back at him.

"Hmm… Pharaoh?" Bakura said.

Yami looked up at him, curious to what he wanted.

"Come with me…"

Yami blinked, "Um… alright"

He stood and followed just as Bakura turned, walking away from the others and to the hallway. Bakura and Yami headed down the hall, to where? Yami hadn't the slightest idea. _Is there something secret he wants to tell me? Or show me? …What could it be? _

Bakura stopped in front of their room before opening the door and walking inside, Yami soon following him.

"What is it Bakura?" Yami said as he closed the door.

"Lock it"

"huh?"

Bakura turned to face the pharaoh, "Lock the door"

Yami stared a little confused, but he did as he was told. Yami then walked over to Bakura, who was standing near the bed, and asked again.

"Alright, what is it?"

Bakura did not say anything, he looked a little uncertain at first, but that didn't last too long as Bakura suddenly grabbed Yami's arm and pulled him onto the bed on top of him. This surprised Yami. All he could do was stare down at Bakura.

"Pharaoh, I'm convinced… certain now that this curse has a cure" Bakura said before taking Yami's hand and kissing it softly.

Yami's eyes grew slightly as he listened and watched attentively. He was now more than curious to know what Bakura wanted.

"So…" Bakura continued, "…Give me the best affection you've got, if not better"

"What?" Yami said, shocked as his eyes grew bigger.

What Bakura was asking Yami to do. It wasn't something Yami had planned at all. _He's not asking me to…_ Yami would have thought Bakura was joking, if he was the joking type at all, but he wasn't, and the serious expression on his face did not help either. Bakura was dead serious.

"Bakura… I said I wouldn't do such a thing to you-"

"-Unless you had my permission" Bakura interrupted, "…and now, I give you my permission"

The only reason Bakura wanted this, was to be freed quicker of course… but how much of this was he willing to go through just to do just that? How stubborn was he really? Yami couldn't quite understand. Something in his mind wanted him to do this. He tried to shake the thought but it only came back. Then again, there was another thought that always came back as well, something telling him not to. Which was the right thing to do at this point? Which was wrong? …which was the decision, he should choose?

XXX

Wait till next update.


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